2 teens arrested in Boardman brawl

Staff report

BOARDMAN

Township police have made two arrests — and expect to make more — in connection with a large fight in Boardman Park that was recorded and posted online.

Police Chief Jack Nichols said two teens are charged with aggravated trespass and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors, for their roles in the March 31 melee.

The teens are a 15-year-old male from Canfield and a 17-year-old male from Boardman, according to police reports.

Both cases will be heard at the Martin P. Joyce Juvenile Justice Center.

Police arrested the Canfield teen Friday and the Boardman teen Monday. Both were brought to the police station by their parents for booking and released into their parents’ custody.

Nichols said he stands by his earlier directive of charging as many people as possible who took part in the fight.

“We could arrest everyone in the crowd and charge them with criminal trespass” if they are identified, Nichols said.

The online videos can be used as evidence and already have helped police with identifying participants, he said.

The fight drew an estimated 100 teens and young adults last month to a wooded area in Boardman Park, behind the Target store. At one point, a man, who appeared to act as a referee, dropped a gun into the middle of the brawl, reports state. Police said they later recovered a loaded gun in a nearby stream.

During the investigation, officers have found at least two videos of similar fights that occurred in the past.