The trend of people posting videos of large fights to YouTube and other social media sites has many Texarkana residents concerned.
Recently, a brawl among teens at Sparks in the Park was posted to the YouTube channel "Texarkana Fights" and received more than 18,000 views. Some Texarkana residents expressed concern on other social media sites about attending large public events where large fights could break out.
However, these videos are also viewed by law enforcement and charges can be filed based on activity that is posted, according to local police. In most cases, the fights break up and people scatter when the police arrive but police can use the video to obtain warrants if necessary.
The Texarkana, Ark., Police Department has previously requested warrants for subjects engaging in public acts of fighting based on videos posted on social media, said Lt. Zachary White. Several people were identified and warrants were issued after a video of a large fight at Raceway Gas Station on State Line Avenue was posted online a couple of years ago.
Another recent video posted shows a large fight in the New Town Community in Texarkana, Texas, and another on Belt Road. Both had several thousand views.
"We see these videos posted online, many times people share them through our Facebook account to be sure we know about them," said Shawn Vaughn, spokesman for Texarkana, Texas, Police Department. "The videos are reviewed by our detectives and the juvenile probation officers. We file charges on those participants who can be identified and are shown committing a criminal offense in the video."
Vaughn said the videos are typically irrefutable in court.
"Its hard for someone to deny being involved in something if there are several videos floating around the Internet that clearly shows otherwise," he said.
The fights are not typically organized groups of people, according to police.
The location of the planned fight is usually announced on social media and can attract a crowd of those wanting to see the fight.
"Unfortunately, many times these bystanders and observers tend to get pulled into the fight at some point and some of them turn into a huge mess," Vaughn said.
Officers have been called to some of these fights where there are 50 or more people fighting and at least that many on the sidelines watching and taking videos.
"It can be a very dangerous situation for our officers to have to go in and try to get the situation back under control as they may be outnumbered 20 to 1 in some situations. If some people have brought guns, that makes it even more dangerous for everyone," he said.
"It's a sad commentary on our society that these videos have become entertainment for some people," he said.