Three Bloomington teens arrested after neighborhood fight, altercation with police

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Three Bloomington teenagers have been arrested after a neighborhood fight in northwest Bloomington led to an altercation with police.

According to a news release from the Bloomington Police Department, the three teens were arrested and remanded to juvenile probation on the following charges:

• 13-year-old boy: two counts of intimidation, a Level 6 felony; one count of resisting law enforcement resulting in injury, a Level 6 felony
• 14-year-old male: One count of resisting law enforcement resulting in injury, a Level 6 felony.
• 14-year-old female: One count of intimidation, a Level 6 felony; one count of misdemeanor unlawful trespass; one count of misdemeanor resisting law enforcement.

Following the reported fight Tuesday night, the X account @IUOnStrike posted two videos on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter of the alleged incident.

The messages, posted Wednesday morning, claim that Bloomington police “violently arrested” the child and that officers “rushed” to the scene in a chaotic manner. The messages also claim that one of the teens said he couldn’t breathe during the arrest.

On Tuesday, around 9:25 p.m., Bloomington police officers responded to the area of ​​W 13th St. and N Illinois St. for a report of a fight in progress. The response came after officers responded to the same area around 8:10 p.m. Tuesday after a number of people got into an argument with another group, who were reportedly brandishing firearms. The department said that when they arrived, the group had “dispersed and officers did not observe an active disturbance.”

When officers arrived on scene for the second time, a neighborhood security guard flagged down an officer, saying the group had gathered near the area of ​​Illinois St. and Illinois Ct. after police left the area. That group began fighting, and the officer allegedly pointed out two teenage boys to Bloomington police officers, saying they were both involved and that one of them had brandished a handgun.

When officers approached the two teens, they initially tried to walk away. Bloomington police said they needed to talk to them about the fight and that they “were not free to leave because they needed their parents present for questioning.”

Police say one of the teens, later identified as 13, refused to comply and began “physically resisting” as officers attempted to arrest him. The statement said the officers and the teen fell to the ground during the struggle.

The statement said the 13-year-old reached for his waistband and “refused to give officers a hand so they could restrain him.” Bloomington police say when this happened, the other teen, identified as a 14-year-old boy, allegedly rushed toward officers in an attempt to arrest the 13-year-old.

Authorities said the 14-year-old was grabbed by other officers. The statement said the 14-year-old began resisting the other officers and attempted to grab the officer who was restraining the 13-year-old. The 14-year-old was then handcuffed without further incident.

The statement said the 13-year-old was eventually handcuffed by officers, who had to carry him to a nearby patrol car. After searching the teen, officers found an object that initially appeared to be a Glock pistol in his waistband, but was later found to be a replica of an Orbeez toy.

Two Bloomington police officers were injured while trying to arrest the 13-year-old and the 14-year-old, the statement said.

As the two teens were being transported to the police station, the 13-year-old began complaining of shortness of breath. An ambulance was called and the patrol car pulled into a parking lot near the intersection of 11th Street and Fairview Street.

According to the release, while the teen was being assessed by first responders in the patrol car, a vehicle with “several members of (the teen's) family arrived on scene and began yelling at officers.” The 13-year-old then “threw himself out of the back seat of the patrol car and had to be restrained by officers again.”

While the 13-year-old was being subdued, a 14-year-old girl allegedly pushed past officers to get closer to the teen. The 14-year-old girl then allegedly made a statement that “the officer interpreted to mean she was going to stab someone” and refused to obey orders to back up.

Officers then attempted to subdue the woman, who attempted to pull her arms away. After being handcuffed, the woman was transported to the Bloomington Police Department.

During their investigation, police said in the statement that a community member near the scene of the initial fight reported that the 13-year-old girl and the 14-year-old boy had “threatened to kill her” before officers arrived. Authorities said the threat was reportedly corroborated by the security guard.

The statement said the teens were sent to a juvenile probation center after police attempted to question them.