A Juneteenth celebration in Oakland, California, turned violent when several people were shot. The Lake Merritt event on Wednesday night was largely peaceful, with as many as 5,000 in attendance, until a sideshow involving motorbikes and vehicles took place around 8:15 p.m. on the north side of the lake, police said in a news release Thursday.
A fight broke out down the street from the sideshow and a crowd gathered in the area of the brawl. "During that fight, multiple shots rang out," said Paul Chambers, OPD's strategic communications manager. While it was not immediately clear how many people were injured, police said at least four were struck by gunfire and were taken to a hospital.
🚨BREAKING NEWS OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: TOTAL CITY COLLAPSE. LAWLESSNESS ERUPTS AS MULTIPLE GUN BATTLES TAKE PLACE ON JUNETEENTH 🚨
Oakland, CA - In a shocking turn of events, multiple gun battles broke out across the city of Oakland during Juneteenth celebrations, leaving numerous… pic.twitter.com/NHPXJrsemg
— World Peace Movement (@darren_stallcup) June 20, 2024
As officers tried to get the crowd to safety several people struck OPD officers, Chambers said. At least one person was taken into custody for assaulting an officer, he said. Participants in the celebration were seen verbally harassing police with some people criticizing police response, saying they didn't respond quickly enough when people were injured, KTVU reported.
In 2021, a shooting during a Juneteenth celebration at Lake Merritt left several people injured and a 22-year-old San Francisco man dead.
