Marshall Police Chief explains why 7 were arrested for ‘rioting’ after fight in city park

MARSHALL, Texas (KTAL/KMSS) – The Marshall, Texas, police chief is explaining why ten people face riot charges.

Chief Cliff Carruth said officers were called to a disturbance at City Park on September 14 around 8:30 p.m. Officers encountered what Chief Carruth described as “a really large party that got out of control.” He said it started with a fight between two juveniles that escalated when a large group of adults got involved and started fighting.

The situation prevented citizens from accessing the road and blocked emergency vehicles from the nearby hospital. Two juveniles were injured, and multiple arrests were made, ranging in ages from 18 to 45.

Carruth said the best charge for this large gathering fit the description of riot participation.

“One of the things we do if we have an instance like that of people breaking the law, no matter what the crime is, even if we can’t arrest them there because there were several hundred people there, and we had six or seven officers that first responded. So get warrants and go back and arrest people after the fact. In this case, we arrested ten people. The charge was rioting, but really the best way I’d describe it was a large party that turned into a big fight, and blocking access to a public park so no one could enter or exit the park. Unfortunately, when that happens, we’ve had instances here and nearby where shootings and even homicides occurred. So we want to get in there and clear it out before that happens,” Carruth said.