Fracas after Twilight Festival ends with two teens' arrests

A fight involving about 150 teens leaving the Twilight Festival on Thursday night ended with the arrest of two teens, Columbia police said.

Columbia police Sgt. Shelley Jones said the group was near Douglass Park when the fight broke out. Columbia police arrested two teens, but Jones would not disclose the ages of the teens or the charges they were arrested on.

Jones said incidents like this one are not unusual.

“We generally have this problem during the Twilight Festival. I can’t say that this happens every time, but I have dealt with several situations,” Jones said.

Jones added that she did not believe the Twilight Festival caused the fight.

In a separate incident Thursday night, an 18-year-old man was arrested after MU police said he vandalized a tree in Peace Park, where several groups of teenagers were gathered. Another man was charged with trespassing after MU police Capt. Brian Weimer said he “jumped out of a manhole” near Peace Park.