Providence officers respond to multiple assaults and fights in Saturday morning crowd of 1,000

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Providence police responded to multiple incidents related to a Saturday morning gathering of approximately 1,000 people near the intersection of Eaton Street and Radcliffe Avenue.

According to an incident report provided by Providence police spokesperson Kristy Dos Reis, Providence College Detail officers responded to the area just after midnight.

The report says that a disturbance occurred in a crowd of approximately 300 people on Radcliffe Avenue, including an “overwhelming number of subjects fighting.”

Officers decided that it would be unsafe to try and diffuse the situation until additional officers arrived.

They were approached by multiple people who said that an individual was bleeding heavily from his head after an assault in the area of 160 Radcliffe Avenue.

Officers located the victim with a laceration on his forehead and Providence rescue was called to the scene.

According to the report, witnesses told officers that approximately 20 male subjects had approached the victim and assaulted him.

The victim lost consciousness at that time and was transported to Rhode Island Hospital.

The victim was unable to speak due to his injuries, but a witness alerted police to a subject dressed in all black on a scooter who was allegedly involved in the assault.

Officers pursued the subject but lost him in the large crowd.

Police units from Districts 1-9 arrived at the scene as more disturbances occurred, according to the report.

Over the course of two hours, police were able to “systematically disperse a majority of the remaining crowd.”

More than 20 officers were involved in bringing the situation under control, according to the report.

Both students and nonstudents comprised the crowd.

Officers were informed that two other assault victims had transported themselves to Miriam Hospital.

Police learned that on Radcliffe Avenue, two vehicles entered the middle of the street and a crowd gathered around them.

Four or five male subjects wearing balaclava-style face coverings approached a victim and struck him repeatedly in the face, according to police.

The report says that a subject also struck a victim with a tequila bottle multiple times, resulting in a laceration to the back of the victim’s head.

A tan-colored firearm also fell from the waistband of one of the subjects according to the report.

“It should be noted that while on scene Police received numerous calls for public disturbances, shots fired, loud music, large crowds and assaults relating to Eaton Street,” said the report.

Officers did not hear shots fired while responding to the scene, and no shell casings were recovered.

A car was towed from the area due to extensive damage caused by subjects jumping on the vehicle.

Detectives were notified of the assaults and the investigation is ongoing.