At least 1 arrested following North Charleston ‘Slam Fest’ fight

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – At least one person was arrested, and several others were detained after fights broke out during a weekend basketball event in North Charleston.

Six officers from the North Charleston Police Department (NCPD) were working off duty at North Charleston High School for an annual event called “Slam Fest” held in the school’s gym.

A fight broke out inside the gym at one point; officers rushed inside the gym due to juveniles yelling that someone had a firearm and a shot possibly being fired, according to an incident report.

Officers said they did not hear a gunshot during the altercation.

One juvenile involved in the initial physical altercation was escorted out of the school and left the premises. But after the crowd had settled, the report said an unknown person fired shots outside the school gate, and everyone who was outside rushed inside the school.

Officers were searching for the person who fired the gun, and that is when law enforcement said multiple fights erupted.

Several juveniles involved in the fights, and who were pointing and presenting firearms, were detained, according to the report. One juvenile was arrested by North Charleston PD.

Before the disturbances began, officers informed staff that the event was at capacity.

Event organizers spoke about the incident in a video on their Facebook page, saying the initial fight involved two females inside the gym. “We removed them and put them out of Slam Fest. We started to continue back the program with the basketball game and then we got a report from North Charleston police that we had to shut down the event down,” said organizers in a video.

The video message continued, “One of my workers outside spoke to a superior officer and they told her that we can continue unless one more thing may happen. We continued; next thing you know, officers came in off the street and told us we had to shut the event down.”

Before the disturbances began, North Charleston officers said they informed event staff that the event was at capacity and it would be impossible to get additional people inside.

“It was shared with officers that the tickets sold for the event were the capacity for the building, but they were still letting people in who needed to pay and did not have a ticket […] officers also gave updates periodically to the event staff as to what was taking place outside and why the event was being shut down. This was due to the staff being upset about officers making people leave and to keep them in great understanding that the safety of everyone and all working personnel was our top priority and not the event,” NCPD said in its report.

News 2 asked the Charleston County School District (CCSD) on Monday morning about the relationship between the basketball event and the school/district and the capacity of the school gym.

The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office and Mount Pleasant Police Department assisted during the incident. Charleston County deputies detained one juvenile “for a short time” on charges of third-degree assault and battery. That juvenile was released to their parent pending family court.

The North Charleston Police Department said its officers are conducting a thorough investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the altercation.

“We are grateful that no serious injuries were reported during this incident. […] We urge anyone with information to come forward and assist us in our efforts. Events like Slam Fest are meant to bring our community together in celebration, and it is disheartening when incidents like this occur,” the agency said.