RPSO investigating after massive disturbance on Jackson Street

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - The Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a massive disturbance on Jackson Street early Sunday morning.

Video circulating on social media shows dozens of people in the parking lot of the Bayview off Jackson Street - later moving across the street to the Circle K gas station before a brawl breaks out. RPSO deputies responding to the scene could be seen taking multiple people into custody.

According to a release on the incident from RPSO, at around 1:45 a.m. Sunday, a deputy working an off duty security detail on Jackson Street requested assistance in clearing a parking lot due to a large number of people congregating and interrupting business.

RPSO shared that just after deputies arrived, a fight broke out among several people. As law enforcement worked to break up the fight, multiple people were detained and three citations were issued for disturbing the peace by fighting. They added that dozens of other individuals left the area without further incident.

According to the Alexandria Police Department, APD was contacted by RPSO at 1:49 a.m. for assistance. Officers who responded to the scene provided crowd control support.

“We expect citizens to act in a safe and respectful manner,” said Alexandria Police Chief Ronney Howard. “In this case, a number of individuals failed to do that, requiring police intervention. The Alexandria Police Department will not tolerate this kind of disorderly conduct that interferes with local business operations. We have successfully handled cases like this before, and we will adjust our patrol efforts to work to prevent further incidents.”

News Channel 5 spoke with Bob Mahfouz, owner of the Bayview, who shared that most weekends law enforcement has to be called to clear the parking lot in the early hours of the morning.

“What’s going on outside, I can’t stop it,” said Mahfouz. “The police come, and when they leave, the people come right back. We are trying to get these people away from loitering and littering because it is just unbelievable.”

The owner added that most people don’t even enter the bar and hang around in the parking lot instead - leading to multiple incidents in the past six months.

“They are about to normal me right out of business because I’m not used to things like this happening,” said Mahfouz. “I’ve had the Bayview since 1994 and we’ve never experienced anything like this.”

News Channel 5 also reached out to District 4 Councilwoman Catherine Davidson who represents the area where the massive disturbance on Jackson St happened. Davidson said incidents like this happen across the city each week which she attributes to a lack of police presence and patrol on the streets.

“We need a plan from this administration on how they are going to address the city-wide coverage issue,” said Davidson. “It’s the same thing on Lower 3rd on Sunday nights. It’s the same thing in District 1 on Friday and Saturday nights. It’s the same thing in District 2, and we have to address it.”

Davidson did confirm to News Channel 5 that the city council plans to have a public meeting on Aug. 9 to introduce and address a 10-point plan to specifically address crime.

This incident is still under investigation and law enforcement shared that more citations may be issued. If anyone has any information about this incident, please contact RPSO at 318-473-6700 or APD Dispatch at 318-441-6559.

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