9 Charged, Accused Of Rioting At NE Oklahoma City Block Party

Nine people have been charged after they were accused of turning a block party in northeast Oklahoma City into a riot.

The suspects were each charged Tuesday with one count of remaining after warning to disperse. Their bonds were lowered to $500.

*Editor's Note: This is an update to a previous story. The previous story on this incident follows.*

A sixth person has been arrested and accused of turning a block party in northeast Oklahoma City into a riot. 

Police said officers gave the crowd multiple warnings to disperse, instead partygoers allegedly turned aggressive. 

The six people arrested are accused of rioting or inciting a riot. One person is being held in the Oklahoma County Detention Center on a $750,000 bond.  

Earlier this month, Northeast 33rd Street between Lincoln Boulevard and Lindsay Avenue turned into a block party.

“They just wanted to throw a big shindig,” a neighbor said.

Police said someone reported loud music and a growing crowd. Officers stopped by and asked party hosts to shut it down before leaving.

“It was about half an hour to an hour later that officers were called back out to the scene because the block party was still going on,” Msgt. Gary Knight with the Oklahoma City Police Department said. “At this point, they had the roads shut down. They did not have a permit to do this.”  

Officers at the scene counted up to 300 people in the street. A neighbor, who does not want to be identified, said everyone was having a good time.

“They were out here dancing, having fun,” the neighbor said. “Nobody was out here acting erratic. Wasn’t nobody fighting, there was no gunshots. None of that.”

Officers used the PA system to get the crowd to disperse but said no one listened. Police said the DJ, later identified as Kevin Jones, started hyping up the crowd to incite partygoers. 

“That’s when they started coming in,” neighbors said. “Started grabbing people.”  

Officers arrested a woman that night and issued warrants for five more suspects. Officers also recovered a stolen car and two rifles.

“They were creating an atmosphere where people could be hurt,” Knight said. 

The neighbor is upset that the police are calling the party a riot.

“When you say rioting, I look at it as, in where’s the vandalism,” neighbor said. “Where’s the burned down property? Like where’s it at?”

The rioting suspects have not been formally charged by the Oklahoma County District Attorney Office.