Police broke up a massive party of approximately 60 people who were filming a rap video at a New York City barbershop despite social distancing rules amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Officers were called to the eNVee Barber Shop in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday after they received reports about a large gathering. New York recently extended its lockdown orders to May 15 as at least 18,100 have died from the virus in the state.
When police arrived, they found the crowd filming a music video for the rapper Kelly King Kelly. Witnesses at the scene reportedly told police that an afterparty was planned at the same location after the video shoot.
More than 100 officers were reportedly needed to break up the crowd, which reportedly refused to leave the area. During a search, police found two guns, one in a partygoer’s possession and one in the barber shop.
James Dorsett, 30, was identified as the owner of one of the guns. He was arrested and charged with criminal possession of a firearm, possession of marijuana and he was also given a summons for the gathering, according to NBC
.
Kayla Phillips, 28, was also arrested and charged with the same counts as Dorsett, as well as criminal possession of a forged instrument and criminal trespassing.
On Sunday, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said he understood young people ‘may not understand, feel or hear the news the way we do,’ adding that young people ‘didn’t understand how dangerous the situation was.’
‘I want to say thank you to the officers who broke it up, but I also want to send a message to the young people to think about the aunts, uncles and grandparents who you may bring this to.’
‘We need to be safe, so getting together for a party – they can pick up the virus and pass it from one person to another and go home and give it to a relative. It is not business as usual – shouldn’t be partying in the middle of a pandemic.’
