RALEIGH, N.C. — The throngs of rowdy young people who flooded Raleigh streets the night of July Fourth were unlike anything Police Chief Rico Boyce says he has seen in 26 years with the Raleigh Police Department.

“Unruly, undisciplined, unsupervised juveniles is what we were dealing with,” Boyce said.

Boyce shared new details of the events in Brier Creek and Glenwood South with the Raleigh City Council on Tuesday afternoon.

The “teen takeovers” led to six separate shootings through the night, leaving 10 people injured, police said.

Police arrested 29 young adults 18 and older, seized 11 firearms and filed four juvenile petitions, one of which has since been elevated to a secure custody order, Boyce said.

“We were prepared for crowd size,” the chief said. “What we were not prepared for was the amount of firearms we were recovering off individuals on Saturday night.”

Police initially estimated 5,000 people were involved at Glenwood South, but Boyce said Tuesday that he’s increasing that number to 8,000. Police also have said 3,000 young people were involved at Brier Creek.

Boyce said the crowd of mostly juveniles appeared to have been dropped off on Glenwood Avenue. When they could not get into the surrounding bars, they gathered in the street with “nowhere to go.”

But the majority were not from Raleigh, Boyce said, explaining police used tracking technology to confirm most people had traveled to Glenwood from neighboring towns.

Boyce said investigations into all the incidents of the night are still ongoing, and additional charges and arrests are expected.

“We know how to manage crowds, but when you have juveniles who have no way to leave that area, who are not being respectful to law enforcement, who have no other business down in the area where they can’t even get into these establishments, you’re going to have problems,” he said.

Here’s a timeline of the night’s events.

Police quash ‘non-event’ in Moore Square

Earlier Saturday, police learned a “teen takeover” was planned for Moore Square. But Boyce described the meet-up as a “non-event,” as the crowd of about 75 people quickly dispersed once officers arrived.

Raleigh police had prepared for four events that day, Boyce said. The first two were the July Fourth parade through downtown Raleigh during the day and the fireworks show at Dix Park Saturday evening, neither of which led to criminal incidents, he said.

But police knew there would be large crowds for Brier Creek’s fireworks show and at Glenwood South, which always attracts a crush of bar-goers and has been a hotspot for late-night crime.

First takeover at Brier Creek

After the Brier Creek fireworks show, “multiple” juveniles engaged in “multiple” fights, Boyce said.

As officers attempted to de-escalate the fights, two groups began firing at each other, shooting a woman in her car and injuring a passenger with flying glass.

Both victims are recovering from their injuries, Boyce said.

Officers detained a juvenile found with a gun but, after investigating, determined he was not involved in the shooting.

Late-night chaos in Glenwood South

After police got the situation in Brier Creek “under control,” officers responded to large crowds forming in Glenwood South. They soon realized many in the crowd were the same ones who had dispersed from the last scene.

Police were well-prepared to handle the crowds, Boyce said. But they weren’t prepared for the number of firearms the crowds would bring.

Just after 1:30 a.m., the first shooting occurred in Glenwood South, with two juveniles shot. Officers rendered aid and “tried to get that part under control,” Boyce said.

Thirty minutes later, a second shooting occurred on Tucker Street, with a young man shot multiple times. That victim, just over age 18, was also carrying a concealed firearm, Boyce said.

“Now we have two scenes within a block of each other, so it was chaotic,” Boyce said.

‘Officer, don’t shoot me,’ man tells chief

As chief of police, Boyce said he felt he had to see the scene for himself.

He spotted a young man on Glenwood Avenue acting in a “very aggressive” manner.

But when he intervened, the man started to run away. When Boyce apprehended him, he discovered he too was carrying a gun.

“He looked up at me and said, ‘Officer, don’t shoot me,’” Boyce said.

After detaining that individual, Boyce said a third shooting at 14 Glenwood Ave. left one juvenile shot by another juvenile.

Officers detained the juvenile who had shot the gun and retrieved the firearm, he said.

©2026 The News & Observer. Visit at newsobserver.com. Distributed at Tribune Content Agency, LLC.