BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
Incidents overnight in Wetumpka, and Elmore County prove that when large crowds gather but cool heads rule, peace can be maintained.
This past week Wetumpka officials learned of a planned block party in “The Level” area on South Opthleohola Street that was held Saturday night.
“We received some intelligence that some people from outside Wetumpka may come to the party, and we were concerned there may be trouble,” Assistant Chief Ed Reeves said. “We discussed those concerns with area residents and organizers of the party. They said it wasn’t expected to be a big deal, and they would police themselves. We didn’t have a problem with that as long as it remained peaceful, and we were just going to monitor the situation.”
As the night went on the crowd continued to grow to around 500 people Reeves said. The crowd and the huge number of vehicles were blocking roadways, which was an issue.
“Later we had a vehicle that came from Montgomery and was being followed by a black Porsche. When they got to McDonalds someone in the Porsche started firing shots into the occupied vehicle. Fortunately no one was hit, but we were called to investigate,” Reeves said. If anyone has information about that incident, please contact the Wetumpka Police Department.
“At that time we started notifying organizers of the block party that it was going to have to shut down. We requested assistance from the Millbrook Police Department, Elmore County Sheriff’s Office and ALEA. I am very glad to say it was peacefully resolved before any action had to be taken. The crowd eventually dispersed and cleared out with no major incidents and that is very much appreciated,” Reeves said.
A short time later, reports of a large crowd gathering on Crenshaw Road between Holtville and Wetumpka were made. That was outside of Wetumpka’s jurisdiction, and Elmore County then diverted officers to that area.
“It was a huge crowd, but the main issue was with streets being blocked,” Elmore Sheriff Bill Franklin said. “Fortunately, we didn’t have any big issues, but we explained to them that they couldn’t block the streets. Everyone was peaceful and moved on. We were letting people out, but not back in until the crowd thinned down.”
Officials were quick to say this was NOT a situation with rioters, but simply large crowds of people who had gathered to party.
“We greatly appreciate everyone’s help from the organizers and people at the party, the county, state and Millbrook that came to assist,” Chief Reeves said.
Later on through the night Tallassee residents reported what they believed to be a mix of shots fired and fireworks well into the early morning hours. Fortunately we are not hearing of any major incidents.
As for Wetumpka, Mayor Jerry Willis said he is also very glad that the incident didn’t grow into a much bigger issue.
“I was out last night and went back to the area this morning to speak to our residents there. I have friends there, and they are were not very happy about the amount of trash that was left,” Willis said. “As for the planned party, we have been working on this. I had met with our police force about plans in place in the event they would be needed. This wasn’t a demonstration, or a protest, it was about people that just wanted to gather for a party.”
Willis said the majority of the crowd was not Wetumpka residents, but from all over the area and outside of Elmore County.
“I am so thankful for our police, the sheriff’s office and everyone who was on standby, and very thankful it did not turn into a bad situation,” Willis said. “I give a lot of credit to our first responders who were able to de-escalate everything and get it broken up. There were a few problems from people who didn’t want to leave, but I am very pleased with how everything was handled.”
Willis said there will be discussions in the future with residents in that area who had concerns about the crowd, and how to handle that in the future if the need arises. “I have a lot of friends in that area, and they have concerns,” Willis said. “We have to come together and move forward.”
