Centralia Police on Wednesday rounded up seven people for criminal arrests in connection with a large fight on the Marion County Housing Authority Parking lot at Lincoln and Rexford Sunday afternoon.
Police Chief Greg Dodson says due to the volatile situation and being outnumbered no arrests were made at the time the fight was broken up.
He reports an officer was jumped in an apparent effort to get to those on the other side of the altercation. At least one person was armed with a baseball bat. About 20 people in all were reportedly at the fight location. Dodson says fortunately there were only minor injuries that did not require hospital treatment.
The department then reviewed video footage of the incident and identified the seven that were taken into custody on Wednesday as being aggressors.
Dodson says the altercation apparently stemmed from a Saturday night fight in the Fairview Shopping Center Parking Lot that police were also called to break up. He reports none of the arrests involve the initial incident.
Dodson says police are not sure what set off the fights. Those taken into custody include 21-year-old Kasana James of McKee Street in Centralia who is being held in the Marion County Jail for aggravated assault and mob action. The other six are juveniles of junior high and high school age. Two were sent to Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center at Benton pending court action. The 15-year-old Centralia male and 17-year-old Centralia female were both arrested for aggravated battery, aggravated assault, and mob action. The other four were released to their parent or guardian pending further court action.
