SAN DIEGO — Skateboarding is not allowed at San Diego’s historic Balboa Park, if there is a group of 49 people or more meeting at Balboa Park, they need a permit.
Last Wednesday, both of those rules were violated by a group of more than 100 skateboarders on International Go Skateboarding Day, but no one stopped them. And so far, no one is in trouble for the violence that followed.
When Brian Sanders got to Balboa Park last Wednesday, he quickly took his son into the Fleet Science Center, away from a group of skateboarders around the fountain.
“You could just feel there was bad energy there. You could feel that something was going to happen," Sanders said.
He walked into the Fleet Science Center around 4 p.m. and when he left at 5 p.m., the uneasy atmosphere had turned violent.
"It was lawlessness. It had that feeling of a riot. That’s how I describe it. I did see numerous people pushing and shoving and hitting each other," Sanders said.
Sanders called 911 and says dispatch told him police were on the way and park rangers were taking care of the situation.
“I saw somebody break out and run. I saw several people chase them. I saw several people wielding skateboards and hitting them on the ground," Sanders said.
Several minutes into the video posted of the scene, you can see a person on the ground covered in blood.
“I was shocked and I was angry. I was angry that this was happening in my park, in our park, in the crown jewel of San Diego. We are seeing places in San Francisco and New York and other large cities where a lack of enforcement of the rules has led to a degradation of the quality of life and public safety. And I think that's what we're witnessing in San Diego and I don't want it to get to that point," Sanders said.
In the video, you can see Sanders holding his son’s hand and walking up to park rangers. He asks them why it took them so long to intervene.
“There’s no place for that in a public park and to have that right where all the families are coming out, he wasn't the only child to see it," he said.
Balboa Park’s website states skateboarding is not allowed.
A spokesperson for the City of San Diego told CBS 8 that park rangers are not law enforcement. The city said when skateboarders come through the park in smaller groups, rangers will educate them about where skateboarding is and is not allowed and the groups move on.
Last Wednesday, on International Skateboarding Day, there were more than 100 skateboarders together in the park. Because of that, the rangers did not feel safe to approach them or stop what was happening.
The city says rangers depend on San Diego Police to step in and do the enforcement.
Sanders said he never saw police before he left. In the video posted of the fight, you can see police officers arrive long after it’s over and the crowd has dispersed. More than an hour after the city says rangers called for police assistance at 4:15 p.m.
Sanders feels frustrated because he says the fight that his son had to see, could have been prevented.
“I saw going in, that trouble was going to happen. And the fact that nobody responded and there was no action taken to prevent that, I think someone needs to be accountable for that," Sanders said.
The City of San Diego issued a statement to CBS 8 that read,
The safety of park guests and our employees is the highest priority for our Park Rangers working in Balboa Park. When the group of more than 100 skateboarders arrived at Balboa Park on Wednesday, our staff monitored them as they moved through the area. There were two Park Rangers on site at the time. When an altercation occurred within the group of skateboards, the Rangers immediately responded to assist a park visitor who was injured and called for police and paramedics to respond and provide support.
Park Rangers are not armed and are not authorized to conduct physical arrests. Park Rangers assist the Police Department by observing and reporting incidents when violent crimes occur in parks.
When Park Rangers see people violating park rules, they typically engage and provide education and there is usually a positive outcome. In this case, the size of the group created a potential safety concern for the Park Rangers. The group also seemed to be getting on their way and leaving the park when the altercation occurred.
Park Rangers first called San Diego Police at 4:15 p.m. to report that a large group of skaters were in the park. When the violent altercation happened, Park Rangers responded to the victims and called for police and paramedics. That was closer to 5 p.m.
While free speech demonstrations are common, the size of this group was unique. Gatherings of 50 or more people do require a permit within the park.
The San Diego Police Department issued a statement to CBS 8 that read,
SDPD was present for much of this event. Our investigation has so far determined that the organizer and group at-large were not responsible for the damage, theft, and assault following the event.
It appears smaller groups broke off from the main event and were responsible for these criminal acts.
We understand and share the frustration and concerns of our community. San Diego PD is actively investigating both the theft incident and the assault incident.
Investigators have obtained video footage and are looking for tips from the public and working to identify the suspects. We ask anyone with information to contact SDPD or Crime Stoppers to remain anonymous.
CBS 8 asked Lt. Sharki to clarify which event he is talking about, how long it took for officers to arrive once park rangers called them at 4:15 p.m., and did they have more of a presence on last year’s International Go Skateboarding Day. San Diego Police has not issued a response to those follow-up questions.
WATCH RELATED: Videos show violence, stealing on International Go Skateboarding Day (June 2023).