Tampa police arrest Black 12-year-old during ‘teen takeover,’ then illegally share name in press release
On Friday night, May 8, a massive group of teens descended on Tampa’s Curtis Hixon Park for what’s referred to as a “teen takeover,” a trend where young people gather in large numbers and cause general chaos, occasionally leading to fights or property damage.
However, when the Tampa Police Department arrived, they didn’t just disperse the crowd. In total, officers arrested 22 people—18 of them children—and illegally published their names and ages in a press release sent to multiple media outlets.
All of the minors named were Black.
Under Florida statute, the names of minors who commit misdemeanors are confidential and typically not to be released by police unless the minor is charged as an adult or is over 16 and has prior felonies. According to the press release, eight of the children named—including the 12-year-old—were only charged with the misdemeanor crime of “affray,” or being involved in a mutually-consented fight in public.
After Creative Loafing Tampa Bay reached out to TPD for comment at around 3 p.m. on Saturday, officials removed the names of minors from the press release.
When CL pointed out the error, TPD Communications Director Joneé Lewis responded via text message: “You are correct. The names were published in error. The release on the city website is being corrected."
