Nearly a dozen arrests were made on Friday during a fundraising festival for St. Catharine Catholic Church near the Columbus, Ohio, suburb of Bexley, after a teen takeover event led to multiple fights.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther condemned the behavior in a statement, saying, “Our neighborhood events should be welcoming places for residents and families to come together, and this behavior is unacceptable.”
Additionally, “a few businesses reported criminal mischief during the period,” Bexley Mayor Ben Kessler said.
Video from the teen takeover shows the chaotic scene with two females fighting as a mob surrounds them, cheering the brawl on with cameras. Police intervened and separated the two youths.
One young black female said, “Ss a teen, I am really embarrassed that you guys are out here acting like this.” She continued, “We came out here to have fun. We can never do anything right. You guys always act up, and this is completely embarrassing.”
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Following the violent teen takeover, St. Catharine Catholic Church announced the cancellation of the event, expressing “great disappointment” in a Facebook post on Saturday.
“It is with great disappointment that we announce the cancellation of the remainder of FunFest 2026. The safety and well-being of our parishioners and surrounding community must always remain our highest priority,” the church said. “We also apologize for any inconvenience or disturbance this situation may have caused our neighbors and the surrounding community.“
In another post, the church said, “While we are heartbroken to have canceled FunFest, we are deeply grateful for the incredible outpouring of support, prayers, and encouragement from our parish family and community. Most importantly, we thank God that no one was seriously injured.“
According to reports, the fighting started at 7 pm on Friday, and reports of gunshots were made. Police further received reports that teens robbed a nearby CVS Pharmacy and vandalized a watermelon box.
At least 11 were arrested, including arrests for theft and vandalism.
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According to Columbus police dispatch, a large fight broke out around 7 p.m. Friday night at 500 South Gould Rd. The city of Bexley said there were initially reports of gunshots, but “there is no evidence of a weapon upon further investigation.” Between the fighting and several nearby reports of criminal mischief, there were 11 arrests.
In a social media post early Saturday, Bexley Mayor Ben Kessler said the event was closed immediately when fights broke out among several groups of teenagers. Kessler said the abrupt closure led to a hectic dispersing of the crowd, with anyone who needed a ride struggling to leave quickly and causing traffic.
Around the same time, Kessler said there was a report of teenagers robbing the Bexley CVS on Main Street. Kessler said there was also vandalism of a watermelon box reported at the Giant Eagle on Main Street in Bexley, leading to a “handful of arrests” related to theft and vandalism.
Kessler said there was an estimated 500 to 800 teenagers at the event, most of whom were peaceful. Both Bexley and Columbus police responded, as St. Catharine sits right over the Bexley border into Columbus, and Kessler said there were over 100 police cruisers and officers on scene to help with crowd control.
The post WATCH: Violent Teen Takeover, Brawls Shut Down Church Fundraiser in Columbus, Ohio – 11 Arrested for Fighting, Theft, and Vandalism appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.