Ocean City Police Chief Ross Buzzuro said the department will increase officer patrols around the town after video surfaced online last week of a large brawl on a boardwalk.
In a video posted to Facebook Monday, Buzzuro did not cite any specific events as sparking the increased patrols, but said “the kind of behavior we’ve seen recently will not be tolerated and arrests will be made.”
A video posted to Facebook June 10 by user Joe Barrasso shows a large crowd of apparent teenagers and young adults involved in a late-night brawl that started on an Ocean City boardwalk.
In the video, dozens of people are involved in the brawl and one male is seen going limp before another male appears to stomp on his upper body, all while witnesses wonder aloud where police are. (Warning: Link has graphic violence and vulgarities throughout)
Mayor Rick Meehan addressed the video later that night, saying that the city is “equally horrified by the actions displayed on social media video depicting violence and unruly crowds.”
Buzzuro does not cite that specific incident in the video, but talks generally about violence in Ocean City and how it’s affected their community amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The town received some criticism after it reopened its boardwalks and beaches in May, as crowds of people flocked to the city Memorial Day weekend.
“We are living through difficult times, not just in Ocean City, but in communities throughout the nation,” he said. “In June in particular, has presented our town with the perfect storm of challenges.”
He did not give specifics about when to expect the increased patrols, but said that the officers “will be there to strictly, yet professionally enforce the law.”
At the end of the video, the chief also asks residents and visitors to aid the department in keeping Ocean City safe.
“I know tension is in the air, but please take a step back, be kind to each other. Respect our differences and help us keep Ocean City a community for all,” he said.