Detroit Greektown Casino Outside Melee Leads to Injured Cops, Arrests

Posted on: June 7, 2021, 01:47h. 

Last updated on: June 7, 2021, 02:42h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More

Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A heated disagreement between two groups erupted into a violent dispute outside of Detroit’s Greektown Casino Saturday night. It involved dozens of what appeared to be younger individuals.

Participants were seen pushing cops as well as jumping on officers’ backs. Officers tried to apprehend and handcuff multiple suspects.

By the time it was over, cops were injured and suspects were arrested. Some 13 guns were confiscated during the evening by police.

Details on the injuries and number of arrests during the dispute were not immediately available from police on Monday.

A video of the violence was posted on Instagram by the HoodTalesTV account. Someone there was repeatedly yelling “Beat his a** bro.”

A Detroit Police Department (DPD) spokesperson told Casino.org on Monday there were no updates. The incident remains under investigation.

The Greektown dispute broke out about midnight near the Monroe Street and Beaubien Boulevard intersection, where the casino is located.

This past weekend marked the first weekend that Detroit’s bars and restaurants were not under a curfew and restrictive COVID-19 safeguards, according to WJBK, a local TV station.

DPD Reviewing Incident

“We have reviewed the social media post showing officers attempting to break up a number of fights and effect several arrests,” police said in a statement released to Casino.org. “All body camera and fixed camera footage will be reviewed to ascertain all of the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident.”

Initially, it appears DPD officers “were attempting to break up an ongoing physical altercation that was escalating between separate large groups of citizens, who then began to assault the officers.”

The DPD confirmed that individuals “from that group were taken into custody and that members of the DPD were injured during the altercation.”

It appears no firearms were used during the dispute. That led one social media poster, midtown.fab, to comment on Instagram, “The fact that allat happened and nobody got shot should say sum to other police departments.” [sic]

Before this weekend, the DPD was “stepping up its presence in the downtown area to help curb illegal activity and nuisance conduct that appears to be driving many of the recent incidents.”

This week, DPD officers will meet with local business owners to ensure they comply with noise, capacity, and other requirements. Officers are also evaluating traffic plans and deployment strategies for the downtown.

Greektown has been the site of violence in prior incidents. Many of the incidents took place on weekend nights.

In May, a double shooting took place in the parking lot of a Detroit restaurant, WJBK said. In April, a murder suspect led police on a chase ending at the Greektown Casino parking garage. In addition, Detroit’s Motor City Casino parking garage was the scene of a fatal shooting of a 25-year-old man in March.

Melee Leads to Instagram Comments

The Instagram account where the video was posted also had many comments. After seeing the violence, one poster, iiaamshayy, said “Getting out of hand bro”

mzpenny2u called the violence the “prime reason not to go downtown.” thaddrumz predicted, “Gonna be a long hott summer!”

detroithiringnow added that “The police should have arrested everybody involved and anybody that came near them. This is ridiculous”

And detroithiringnow said “It’s so pointless for them to put all that money into downtown for the young ppl to go down there and tear it up. Cause the older ppl stay away from downtown.”