More than 400 people arrested during Gasparilla parade

At least 413 people were arrested Saturday during the Gasparilla Parade, among them a NFL player.

And like Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Michael Richardson, 25, the vast majority of those taken into custody were charged with alcohol-related offenses, Tampa police say.

Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said of the 413 arrests, 406 were misdemeanors and seven were felonies. The felony charges included battery on a law enforcement officer, battery on a police horse, being in possession of fake identification, and felony possession of marijuana.

Richardson was arrested at 4:15 p.m., in the vicinity of the Howard and Swann Avenue intersection, on a charge of being in possession of an open container.

He was released from the Orient Road Jail at 8:10 p.m. tonight after posting a $250 cash bail, according to jail records.

Roughly two dozen suspects were taken to the Orient Road Jail, McElroy said. The rest were released on their own recognizance and given notices to appear in court, to answer to their misdemeanor charges.

However, only seven juveniles under the age of 17 were charged with being a minor in possession of alcohol, a fact that indicates a recent education campaign on the issue was a great success, McElroy said. A Tampa police officer visited every public and private high school in the area as part of the campaign.

But while the juveniles behaved, the same cannot be said for the adults. Typical among those arrested were a couple of 20-year-old college students, who were seen drinking beer on Watrous Avenue.

The arrests represent a sharp increase over last year, when 141 people were taken into custody by several law enforcement agencies.

What is strange about the contrast is that this year the rain kept many parade-goers away and as a result the crowds were smaller and the parade itself reached its destination fairly quickly.

McElroy attributed the increase to the aggressive approach taken by police after last year's parade, when some of the revelers' shenanigans made their way onto YouTube and the neighborhoods let the city know they had had enough.

"This is our first year of zero tolerance," McElroy said. "It's our hope that this year sets a new tone for Gasparilla'' and that next year's parade-goers realize that and act in accordance with the law.