POTENTIALLY GET HIT THE HARDEST COMING UP IN THE NEXT 15 MINUTES. ALL RIGHT MARQUISE. THANK YOU. MEANWHILE, A COMMUNITY FIELD DAY IN ORLANDO TURNED TO SWARMS OF TEENAGERS ACTUALLY BEING CHASED BY POLICE OFFICERS. AND ORGANIZERS SAY THE TEENS TRIED TO TAKE OVER THE FAMILY FRIENDLY EVENT. WESH TWO’S DAVID JONES IS JOINING US LIVE IN STUDIO TONIGHT. AND DAVID, YOU TALKED WITH COMMUNITY LEADERS ABOUT THIS WHO SAY THAT THEY HOPE THIS ALL SENDS A MESSAGE TO THOSE TEENS PARENTS. LUANA. THAT’S RIGHT. THEY HOPE THAT MESSAGE IS TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON YOUR KID, BUILD THAT RELATIONSHIP AND TEACH THEM CONFLICT RESOLUTION. THIS WAS THE NINTH YEAR THAT P DAY HAS BEEN HELD. ORGANIZERS SAY MOST OF THE DAY WAS GOOD UP UNTIL HUNDREDS OF KIDS JUST STARTED SHOWING UP, SOME FIGHTING OUTSIDE. THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN DO AT PDP DAY IS A COMMUNITY FIELD DAY, LIKE A FAMILY REUNION THAT’S GROWN BIGGER EACH YEAR. IT WAS STARTED BY PAUL JOSEPHAT. WHEN YOU HEAR P DAY, YOU’RE LIKE, OH YEAH, IT’S GOING TO BE SAFE THERE, I THINK PTA REPRESENTS AN AFFORDABLE OPTION, AN AFFORDABLE I MEAN, FREE FOR FAMILIES TO COME AND JUST HAVE A GOOD TIME. ORANGE COUNTY COMMISSIONER MICHAEL SCOTT IS ANOTHER ORGANIZER. HE SAYS SATURDAY’S P DAY AT THE EMERY FIELD DEVOLVED QUICKLY WHEN GROUPS OF TEENS ARRIVED. I LOOKED UP AND THEY CAME AND GRABBED ME AND I JUST SEEN A WHOLE BUNCH OF KIDS OUTSIDE THE GATE. THEY SAY. THE TEENS STARTED TO FIGHT OUTSIDE. IT JUST IT JUST BECAME SO OVERWHELMING FOR US. IT’S LIKE, OKAY, WE’RE GOING TO MAINTAIN THE SAFETY OF THE PEOPLE WHO CAME HERE TO HAVE FUN AND NOT GET IN TROUBLE. BUT WE NEED TO ALSO GET LAW ENFORCEMENT INVOLVED. YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOKED UP AND BLINKED, THERE WAS JUST A LOT MORE KIDS THAN NORMAL. ORGANIZER TUAN AND WARE SAYS IT WAS OUTSIDE THE GATES OF THE EVENT, BUT ORGANIZERS STILL TRIED TO DEFUZE THE SITUATION. AN ARGUMENT CAN TURN INTO A HOSPITAL VISIT OR EVEN WORSE, SCOTT SAYS IT TOOK MULTIPLE POLICE. SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES, EVEN A SHERIFF’S HELICOPTER TO BREAK UP THE CROWD. HE SAYS A KID EVEN WENT TO THE HOSPITAL. EVERYTHING THAT THAT HAPPENED, AT LEAST FROM TALKING TO KIDS, WAS ALL ABOUT THINGS THAT WERE SAID EITHER VERBALLY OR SOCIAL MEDIA. NO ONE HAD HURT SOMEONE BEFORE. IT WAS LIKE, OH, HE SAID THIS. AND SO NOW I WANT TO FIGHT HER. SHE SAID THAT, AND NOW I WANT TO FIGHT. WHERE SAYS SHE HOPES WHAT HAPPENED IS A WAKE UP CALL TO PARENTS. YOU JUST CAN’T SEND THEM OUT THERE AND SAY, OH, LET THE COMMUNITY TAKE CARE OF THEM. WE ARE HERE TO HELP THEM AS A VILLAGE. BUT THAT’S NOT OUR RESPONSIBILITY. THEY SAY THE EVENT WILL GO ON NEXT YEAR WITH SOME CHANGES. WE’VE REACHED OUT TO ORLANDO PD AND THE ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE FOR DETAILS, AND WE’RE WAITING TO HEAR BACK. LUANA. ALL RIGHT, DAVID, THANK YOU. MEANWHILE, THERE WAS ANOTHER TEEN TAKEOVER JUST LAST NIGHT. LOOK AT THIS VIDEO. TAMPA POLICE ARRESTED 22 PEOPLE BETWEEN THE 12 AND 21 AT A LOCAL PARK. THE DEPARTMENT SAYS THE LARGE GROUP CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DISRUPTION, SOME FIGHTS AND OTHER ISSUES OUT THERE, AND THOUSANDS OF TEENS TOOK OVER ICON PARK JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO. ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES ARRESTED NINE TEENAGERS. TWO DEPUTIES SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES.
Teens attempt ‘takeover’ of Orlando community field event
Updated: 11:12 PM EDT May 10, 2026
Organizers of a popular Orlando community event called “P Day” said groups of teens swarmed the event Saturday, leading them to end it early and law enforcement to descend on the area around the Central Florida Fairgrounds in an effort to break up the crowds.Dozens of police officers, sheriff’s deputies and even the sheriff’s department helicopter were used in the effort, said Orange County Commissioner Michael Scott.It was the ninth anniversary of “P Day,” which community advocate Paul Josaphat started to give an outlet for kids and adults to have fun, Scott said.The event features flag football games, kickball, vendors and food.”I think P Day represents an affordable option, and by affordable I mean free, for families to come and have a good time,” Scott said.Josaphat said the event has grown over the years.”When you hear P Day, you’re like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s going to be safe there,'” he said.But Scott and Josaphat, along with organizer Tuwanan Ware, said toward the end of the day, attendees pointed out large groups of kids had begun to show up at the entrance.”When you looked up and blinked, there were just a lot more kids than normal,” Ware said. “Inside, everyone was safe. Everybody was doing exactly what they wanted to come out and do for that day: eat food, buy things. Then, the children just appeared.”Groups of kids began fighting, Ware said, and the event had to be cancelled. Scott noted one child even had to be taken to the hospital during the skirmishes, which all took place outside of the “P Day” event but nearby.”We can control what was inside; we couldn’t control what was outside,” Ware said.”I’ve been a mentor for a long time, so I have a relationship with a lot of these kids,” Scott said. “We got a group to leave, another group to stay, kind of separated them, but it still kept building, you know how kids like to amp each other up.””It just became so overwhelming for us, and we were like, ‘OK, we’re going to maintain the safety of the people who came here to have fun and not get in trouble, but we also need to get law enforcement involved.’ We contacted the Orlando Police Department, and even they had to wait.”WESH 2 reached out to OPD and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for details, but we have not yet heard back.”Everything that happened, at least in talking to kids, was all about things that were said, either verbally or on social media,” Scott said.Scott, Ware and Josaphat said they hope what happened is a wake-up call for parents to be more attentive to their children and what they’re doing.”Talk to them, listen to them, see what they need. Put them in some after-school program or some program to keep them focused, get their location on your phone,” Josaphat said.Ware said the event will be held next year, but there will be adjustments made.”In this day and age, you have to be more involved with your children,” Ware said. “You just can’t send them out there and say, ‘Oh, let the community take care of them.’ We are here to help them as a village. But that’s not our responsibility.”
ORLANDO, Fla. —
Organizers of a popular Orlando community event called “P Day” said groups of teens swarmed the event Saturday, leading them to end it early and law enforcement to descend on the area around the Central Florida Fairgrounds in an effort to break up the crowds.
Dozens of police officers, sheriff’s deputies and even the sheriff’s department helicopter were used in the effort, said Orange County Commissioner Michael Scott.
It was the ninth anniversary of “P Day,” which community advocate Paul Josaphat started to give an outlet for kids and adults to have fun, Scott said.
The event features flag football games, kickball, vendors and food.
“I think P Day represents an affordable option, and by affordable I mean free, for families to come and have a good time,” Scott said.
Josaphat said the event has grown over the years.
“When you hear P Day, you’re like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s going to be safe there,'” he said.
But Scott and Josaphat, along with organizer Tuwanan Ware, said toward the end of the day, attendees pointed out large groups of kids had begun to show up at the entrance.
“When you looked up and blinked, there were just a lot more kids than normal,” Ware said. “Inside, everyone was safe. Everybody was doing exactly what they wanted to come out and do for that day: eat food, buy things. Then, the children just appeared.”
Groups of kids began fighting, Ware said, and the event had to be cancelled.
Scott noted one child even had to be taken to the hospital during the skirmishes, which all took place outside of the “P Day” event but nearby.
“We can control what was inside; we couldn’t control what was outside,” Ware said.
“I’ve been a mentor for a long time, so I have a relationship with a lot of these kids,” Scott said. “We got a group to leave, another group to stay, kind of separated them, but it still kept building, you know how kids like to amp each other up.”
“It just became so overwhelming for us, and we were like, ‘OK, we’re going to maintain the safety of the people who came here to have fun and not get in trouble, but we also need to get law enforcement involved.’ We contacted the Orlando Police Department, and even they had to wait.”
WESH 2 reached out to OPD and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for details, but we have not yet heard back.
“Everything that happened, at least in talking to kids, was all about things that were said, either verbally or on social media,” Scott said.
Scott, Ware and Josaphat said they hope what happened is a wake-up call for parents to be more attentive to their children and what they’re doing.
“Talk to them, listen to them, see what they need. Put them in some after-school program or some program to keep them focused, get their location on your phone,” Josaphat said.
Ware said the event will be held next year, but there will be adjustments made.
“In this day and age, you have to be more involved with your children,” Ware said. “You just can’t send them out there and say, ‘Oh, let the community take care of them.’ We are here to help them as a village. But that’s not our responsibility.”