Two Montgomery County police officers were seriously injured when a large group of teens and young adults began brawling in a parking lot after a high school basketball game.
One of the officers came away from the chaos with a concussion and a broken wrist while the second officer broke a finger as police were outnumbered when fights broke out after 9 p.m. Thursday at a Burger King parking lot on Easton Road, Abington Township Police Chief Patrick Molloy said.
“Our officers are tasked with going in, trying to deescalate a situation. And then the lack of respect for authority – the inability to just simply comply with the officers who are going in there, are very professional – and disperse is mind-boggling,” Molloy said.
Hope Brouwer-Ancher, 18, was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer. Police said she attacked two officers who were speaking with one another as they tried to disperse the crowd. An underage boy then attacked one of the officers from behind as they tried to restrain Brouwer-Archer, police said. He was also charged with aggravated assault.
Officers from all over the area were forced to respond as things escalated. A police dash camera recorded as one officer was knocked to the ground and another was lifted off his feet when they tried to break up one of the scuffles.
“Young people feel like it’s OK to attack an officer in full uniform who is simply there to be the peacemaker,” Molloy said.
Police said they will continue to investigate and parse through more videos on social media to determine if more charges are warranted.