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Shooting, Stampede, Brawl Mar BayWalk's Christmas

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By STEPHEN THOMPSON and ROD CHALLENGER, The Tampa Tribune News Channel 8

Published: December 27, 2007

Updated: 12/26/2007 11:34 pm

ST. PETERSBURG - BayWalk, the city's downtown retail and entertainment complex, was the scene of several violent and chaotic incidents Tuesday, including a man being shot in the leg, a crowd stampeding for free money, and a brawl involving teenage girls that was so intense officers said they had to use pepper spray to break it up.

Crowds began to gather after moviegoers found the films they intended to see at the complex's theater were sold out, Assistant Police Chief Dave DeKay said. As police officers started moving the throngs off the property, a man fired a gun in a nearby alley, and an officer was so close she saw the muzzle flash, DeKay said.

About the same time, at 11:03 p.m., a 20-year-old man was shot in the calf three blocks from BayWalk, police said. He and a passenger in a Dodge Charger had just exchanged some words concerning a pedestrian's girlfriend, and the passenger in the vehicle opened fire, St. Petersburg police spokesman George Kajtsa said.

The Tribune is not identifying the 20-year-old victim because the shooter has not been apprehended. The bullet went through his leg but did not damage nerves or bones, Kajtsa said.

There were three young women or female teenagers with the victim, but they did not think they could identify the shooter if they saw him, Kajtsa said. No shell casings or slugs were recovered, and there is no surveillance video of the shooting, he said.

Within 15 minutes of the shooting, Curtis Donaldson, 23, was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct after he threw money into the air outside the complex and caused a stampede, authorities said. He also was charged with possession of cocaine, a jail affidavit states.

About the same time, another St. Petersburg man, Curtis D. Scott, 19, was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct after he was seen walking up and down a street outside BayWalk trying to get people to fight him, a jail affidavit says.

A little more than an hour later, at 12:25 a.m. Wednesday, a brawl involving about eight people broke out at an intersection outside BayWalk, and authorities say they had to use pepper spray to break it up. Jessica Williams, 19, and three teenage girls were charged with disorderly conduct, and their parents were called, Kajtsa said.

DeKay said more police were expected to be deployed at the complex Wednesday night as a result of Tuesday night's violence. He said police can do a better job maintaining the peace if they are already at BayWalk.

Amber Overby, a spokeswoman for the complex, defended the complex's security officers, saying they enforced the curfew put in place two years ago for people younger than 18.

"Once the center closed, we are then dependent on people to act lawfully and orderly as they leave the downtown area," she said.

She pointed out that technically none of Tuesday's incidents occurred on BayWalk property.

In March 2005, rules were changed at BayWalk to include a curfew for people younger than 18 and prohibitions against disruptive behavior and inappropriate attire.

The rules were instituted after two 13-year-old girls got into a fight in a crowd of 1,500 teens Jan. 7, 2005. The fight led to a multitude of brawls. In that incident, it took 69 police officers two hours to clear the scene. They arrested seven adults and seven juveniles.

Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at (727) 451-2336 or spthompson @tampatrib.com. Reporter Rod Challenger can be reached at (727) 536-8443 or rchallenger@wfla.com.

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