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tom.powell@wreg.com
tompowell3 on Twitter
(Memphis 3/30/2010) Just before closing time at the Memphis Zoo Tuesday, a young student on spring break stood on a bench and pointed to an elephant and giggled.
His mother smiled as she held her arm around his shoulder.
The mother and her son were there along with 25,314 other folks who visited the zoo for a free afternoon. It's a record breaking number. Never before have that many people gone through the gates in a single day during in the zoo's long history.
The weather was beautiful. Memphis City Schools were out of session for spring break. It was supposed to be a nice afternoon filled with good times.
But according to police, there were some bad times too. Officers responded to several fight calls during the free afternoon. "When you have this many people in the zoo, you're going to see some disturbances, people not getting along with one another, and we've had to tell some folks kindly that their stay at the zoo is over," said Memphis Zoo Spokesman Brian Carter.
Drivers traveling on the busy streets surrounding the zoo described traffic as a nightmare. "We couldn't enjoy anything," said one father as he left the zoo with his son on his shoulders.
The trouble didn't end when the zoo closed.
Crowds of people poured out into the neighborhoods near the zoo.
Witnesses called police after they saw two teenagers pull out guns and fire shots into the air in front of a house on Overton Park Avenue. A neighbor who didn't want to be identified said she heard several gunshots. "It was like pop, pop, pop," she said. "Then you heard people screaming and running."
A police officer stood over a shell casing as he waited for the crime scene van to arrive. The same neighbor who heard the shots said she hates that this happened on such a nice afternoon.
She feels a few out-of-control teens are creating a bad situation for everyone. "They're spoiling it for the people who come here to bring their small children or come here to do family things. They're spoiling it."
- Police Responded to Several Fights
- Witnesses Say Teens Leaving the Zoo Fired Shots in the Air
- There were no injuries
tom.powell@wreg.com
tompowell3 on Twitter
(Memphis 3/30/2010) Just before closing time at the Memphis Zoo Tuesday, a young student on spring break stood on a bench and pointed to an elephant and giggled.
His mother smiled as she held her arm around his shoulder.
The mother and her son were there along with 25,314 other folks who visited the zoo for a free afternoon. It's a record breaking number. Never before have that many people gone through the gates in a single day during in the zoo's long history.
The weather was beautiful. Memphis City Schools were out of session for spring break. It was supposed to be a nice afternoon filled with good times.
But according to police, there were some bad times too. Officers responded to several fight calls during the free afternoon. "When you have this many people in the zoo, you're going to see some disturbances, people not getting along with one another, and we've had to tell some folks kindly that their stay at the zoo is over," said Memphis Zoo Spokesman Brian Carter.
Drivers traveling on the busy streets surrounding the zoo described traffic as a nightmare. "We couldn't enjoy anything," said one father as he left the zoo with his son on his shoulders.
The trouble didn't end when the zoo closed.
Crowds of people poured out into the neighborhoods near the zoo.
Witnesses called police after they saw two teenagers pull out guns and fire shots into the air in front of a house on Overton Park Avenue. A neighbor who didn't want to be identified said she heard several gunshots. "It was like pop, pop, pop," she said. "Then you heard people screaming and running."
A police officer stood over a shell casing as he waited for the crime scene van to arrive. The same neighbor who heard the shots said she hates that this happened on such a nice afternoon.
She feels a few out-of-control teens are creating a bad situation for everyone. "They're spoiling it for the people who come here to bring their small children or come here to do family things. They're spoiling it."
