Pepper Spray Deployed In Efforts To Contain Mass Disturbance

On Saturday, March 22 at approximately 8:09 PM, the Orange Police Department had to respond to Urban Air Adventure Park located on Bull Hill Lane for a report of individuals fighting inside the establishment. Arriving officers were met with numerous unruly individuals, most of which were juveniles, that were screaming, running around and actively fighting. The entire shift had to respond along with mutual aid assistance from neighboring West Haven PD officers. At one point, an Orange police officer, after giving warning, had to deploy pepper spray in the air in order to disperse a crowd that was fighting and keeping the officer from reaching the combatants. In total, two 14-year-old juveniles from Bridgeport and two juveniles from New Haven, ages 14 and 15, were arrested and turned over to their parents after being issued summons with juvenile court appearance dates. Additional disturbances occurred outside and in neighboring lots after the business was evacuated. There were hundreds of patrons in the business at the time of the disturbances, many being juveniles that were unsupervised. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt during this disturbance. Urban Air has been the site of many calls for police service the last few months, many dealing with fights and disputes. The exact cause of the initial fight is unknown but might have had to do with aggressive behavior in the dodge ball pit. Attached is a short body camera video prior to the officer having to deploy pepper spray.