Astro Skate Brandon fight leads to the arrest of 30 juveniles, 6 adults: ‘Like Lord of the Flies’
BRANDON, Fla. - A fight in the parking lot of Astro Skate in Brandon landed six adults and 30 juveniles in handcuffs on Saturday night.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says they responded to Astro Skate of Brandon on Saturday night after a fight broke out in the parking lot.
According to officials, off-duty deputies called HCSO for help with the large crowd that was fighting at the skating rink located at 750 W Robertson St. around 8:45 p.m.
The roller rink has a 670-person maximum capacity. Deputies say there were 400–500 people in the crowd and law enforcement was unsure who were adults and who were minors at the time.
Authorities say there was also a fight at a nearby barber shop.
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A window was broken because of the altercation at Time Out Barbershop located at 928 W. Brandon Blvd, according to deputies. Officials say there was about $1,200 in damage.
There was also $500 in broken wine bottles and an unknown amount of property stolen from a 7-11 located at 700 W. Brandon Blvd, according to the sheriff's office.
HCSO says there were 30 juveniles and six adults arrested.
Courtesy: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
Courtesy: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
The adults who were arrested include:
- Lekera Evans, 32
- Yazelynn Ramos, 21
- Malik Carter, 20
- Jadyn Sebro, 18
- Aliyah Alfonso, 18
- Fareed Carter, 18
They all face charges for trespassing. Sebro and Ramos also face charges for disorderly conduct.
Evans faces a resisting officer without violence charge.
Andrea Leary, Astro Skate of Brandon Manager, said this was far from the average Saturday night at the roller rink.
"Roughly 300 to 400 (people come out) on a typical Saturday night. After 9 p.m., it’s what we call our Jam Skate night. It’s mostly kids who know how to skate, they do their little routine," she added, "It’s more of a family environment on Saturday nights."
Leary said the business canceled and refunded a girl’s 18th birthday party the day prior, she explained "because she was angry about that response she posted on social media for everyone to come out and basically harass Astro Skate."
Many flooded the parking lot of the 1916 Irish Pub across the street. Manager Robbie Remon was not working at the time, but said mass gatherings like this have happened before.
"They’ll run in here. They’ll yell. They’ll go up to the tables, Take food of the tables," he said. "Last year, one kid got arrested because he slapped one of my patrons outside, a female."
Remon said these incidents kill any business for the restaurant the entire night.
"It’s exactly like Lord of The Flies. Very feral is the only way to describe it," he said.
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Sergeline Jean and Trisha Paul’s 12-year-old nephew was among the nearly two dozen juveniles arrested. Jean and Paul said the boy had no connection to the Astro Skate crowds and was there with them to get dinner at a Korean BBQ restaurant nearby.
"We left the three older kids outside. By the time we checked on our table and walked back outside. Whatever the officer's name was, she was slamming my 12-year-old nephew on the floor," Jean said.
The two women said they tried to explain to deputies that the boy was there with them, but the 12-year-old was still arrested for trespassing and disorderly conduct. Paul said she hopes HCSO changes their approach to situations like this if it happens again.
"Just do a better job and if the parents are at the scene, let's try to defuse the situation. They weren't trying to listen or diffuse, they were just hauling kids in the back of vans. We need to do better than that," she said.
FOX 13 reached out to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s for a statement in response to the allegations surrounding this arrest. So far, we have not heard back.
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