Blog: KPD News & Alerts

Downtown Knoxville riot

On Saturday, May 30 at around 11:30 p.m., a group of between 50-100 individuals assembled and proceeded to commit numerous acts of vandalism in the area of Market Square and Downtown Knoxville. Shortly after the group assembled, the window at Ruby Sunshine, located at 37 Market Square, was vandalized and the group began to disperse in different directions to include the Market Square garage, World’s Fair Park and Gay Street. Officers assigned to the downtown area worked throughout the event to maintain public safety and prevent any further criminal activity.

A larger group assembled on the Clinch Avenue bridge at just past midnight and made its way back towards downtown while shooting fireworks, throwing trashcans into the road, smashing a port-a-potty and breaking glass somewhere near Clinch and Locust.

Around that same time, at approximately 1 a.m., officers observed a suspicious subject exit a vehicle on the Market Square Garage. The subject was detained without incident. A subsequent search of the subject, a 20-year-old male, and the vehicle resulted in the discovery and confiscation of six handguns, two shotguns, two rifles and various quantities of narcotics. He was charged with Possession with Intent to Sell Schedule I, Possession with Intent to Sell Schedule II and Possession of Firearm During Commission of Dangerous Felony.

The group eventually made its way back to Market Square, where officers attempted to give the official dispersal order. The dispersal orders were given again to a group of 40 or more individuals gathered on the corner of Market and Union as they began to move slowly south on Market, while that same group received the orders again as they lingered on Market Street in Krutch Park.

That group ended up on Gay Street travelling north, where one individual threw an object into a police SUV, striking a KPD officer in the head. The officer was uninjured, while the suspect, an 18-year-old male, was taken into custody and charged with Assault, Disorderly Conduct, Evading Arrest, Resisting Arrest and Inciting to Riot. A second KPD officer sustained a minor injury during the arrest and was driven to KFD station 1 to receive first aid.

No other injuries were reported.

By about 2 a.m., all the groups had left the immediate downtown area. Officers are continuing to assess any additional vandalisms that occurred in the downtown area during this event.

Posted by serland On 31 May, 2020 at 1:55 PM