Temple students assaulted, arrests made as juveniles cause chaos near campus: officials

PHILADELPHIA - Temple officials say an orderly gathering of juveniles quickly took a turn Saturday night, ending with at least three university students being assaulted.

The crowd returned Sunday evening, prompting police to show up right away to send a message.

What we know:

A group of unsupervised juveniles started to gather near Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue around 7 p.m.

Temple University’s Department of Public Safety and Philadelphia police were supervising the scene, but requested back up when the crowd started to become more rowdy.

One Temple student was assaulted near Temple Towers, another student was assaulted near 12th and Montgomery streets, and a third student reported being pushed to the ground.

The first two students are being evaluated for their injuries, but the third didn't require medical attention.

More than a dozen Philly police officers on motorcycles cruised along Cecil B. Moore near Broad Street after a large crowd of teenagers gathered for the second night in a row, sunday.

Students shared their cell phone videos with us.

One student told me his friend, a Temple senior, was knocked off his bike and ended up in the hospital.

What we don't know:

Officials say arrests were made throughout the evening, but those responsible for the assaults have not been identified.

Further details about the arrests, along with the group's actions, have yet to be released.

What they're saying:

"Incidents like tonight’s are unacceptable. While we had no advance warning of tonight’s gathering, TUDPS has been in regular contact with PPD regarding planned and unannounced juvenile gatherings. These gatherings typically take place on public property, but their impact negatively affects our Temple community. We will continue to work with the city and PPD to address these incidents," Temple University officials said in an announcement.

Temple students reacted after watching crowds of teenagers, described by Temple police as disorderly, gathered on campus Saturday night.

"I think it does need to change as far as safety for all of the students and the other people who live around here," said Grant Samon, a Temple student.

"Just people running around, loud noise. It was pretty crowded on the streets. I was walking to the store and saw the craziness, the kids running around. It was wild. It was insane," Samon added.

"Usually around the weekend, a lot of big groups of high schoolers come around and cause a scene. There’s a lot of them," said Marley Ruiz, another Temple student.

Freshman Teo Strand captured video from his dorm room.

"I was about to go outside to eat, but I got a little scared. I just stayed inside. You never know," Strand said.