Benton Harbor street unrest ends in 11 arrests

Police say 11 people, including two juveniles, were arrested Tuesday evening in Benton Harbor after a street disturbance broke out about 6:30 p.m. Police Chief Roger Lange told SBT24/7 News that the nine adults all went to jail after several fights broke out at the intersection of Empire Avenue and Pavone Street. Lange said he wasn’t clear on what caused the unrest or exactly how large the crowd was, but said rumors that a 12-year-old girl had been stabbed proved unfounded. No one was injured, including police, he said. But officers will be patrolling the area overnight to make sure the neighborhood stays quiet. Michigan State Police at Bridgman said theirs was one of the nearby agencies that sent officers to help quell the violence. Others included the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department and St. Joseph Township, the MSP dispatch said. Police were able to bring the crowd under control fairly quickly and did not need to use teargas or riot gear to do so. Lange stressed that his department is taking a “zero tolerance” policy toward unrest of the type that occurred and warned that anyone involved in similar incidents will be prosecuted.