COLLEGE STATION, Texas — When the bars close in the Northgate District of College Station on weekend nights, police officers work the crowds in an effort to move people out of the area quickly. According to one probable cause report or February 19, an officer stated police try to move quickly because people will tend to engage in violence if they wait around too long.
On Friday, February 18 into the early morning hours of February 19, found themselves in the middle of several altercations with allegedly drunk individuals and were allegedly assaulted and harassed as they tried to move the crowds to go home.
What made these reports stand out were not only the nature of the people involved, but at least four were minors. Some were arrested later in the morning of February 19 for drunk driving and reported they had been in the Northgate District earlier in the evening. One woman was arrested for drunk driving after allegedly nearly hitting other vehicles in the drive thru of a Whataburger just after 2 a.m. She reported she had just come from the Northgate District. It just happened to be her 20th birthday.
While arrests in the Northgate District aren't new, it appeared many of the arrests stemmed from individuals engaging in fights with one another, or attempting to stop police from arresting individuals.
11:30 p.m. Friday, February 18 - Three people are arrested after a fight outside of the Foundations Club on the 100 block of College Main. All three men were arrested, charged with disorderly conduct and taken to the Brazos County Jail. All three bonded out on $300.
- Landen Bennett, 18, of Hewitt
- Jacob Gutierrez, 21, of Houston
- Logan Drake, 21, of Belton
Authorities said an officer watched as a fight broke out between the three men outside of the Foundations Club. The officer reported Bennett was punching the other two men with a closed fist and they tried to break up the fight. Gutierrez and Drake also were punching Bennett. Once separated, the men said the fight started with an argument inside the bar.
12:30 a.m. Saturday, February 19 - Officers were busy with what was reported as an alcohol-related violation outside of Shriner Park on the 200 block of University Drive when an employee said a man was attempting to come back inside after being kicked out for being "intoxicated and unruly."
- Denton Farmer, 18, of Jarrell
Authorities said Farmer was drunk outside of the bar and employees allegedly reported he became physically aggressive with them after he was kicked out. When officers questioned him, Farmer allegedly told them he was "pretty messed up." He was charged with being an intoxicated minor in public and taken to the Brazos County jail. He bonded out on $300.
While this was happening, officers were also responding to the 300 block of College Main. A CSPD bike officer was called to the Northgate Garage where an officer from the Blinn College Police Department and a deputy fire marshal from the Bryan Fire Department where with a man who was allegedly drunk.
- Ralph Reyes, 23, of College Station
Reyes had allegedly been involved in a crash in the parking garage and was refusing to hand over his information to the other driver. Reyes allegedly told authorities he had six drinks but was still okay to drive. Authorities said he would not listen to his rights and instead told them he would be late to work if he didn't get going. He was arrested and charged with public intoxication and later released on a $300 bond.
1:50 a.m. Saturday, February 19 - Authorities said an argument broke out between two groups of people in the 300 block of University Drive. Officers reported they gave several opportunities to several individuals to break it up and go home, however, they said many of the people involved in the argument would not take the advice.
- Luis Casella, 27, of Corpus Cove
- Jose Manuel Diaz, 24
- Jeriah Acang, 19, of Fort Hood
Authorities said they warned the three men to go home and to stop picking fights between each other and other people around them. At one point, they said Acang, who was heavily intoxicated, began trying to engage random people on the sidewalk by using hand gestures, using foul language and trying to get them to fight him. He was arrested, charged with being an intoxicated minor in public and released on $300 bond on February 19.
Authorities said Diaz began fighting with another man and officers then pushed their way through the crowd to break up the fight. The other man Diaz was allegedly hitting was able to run from the scene and was not identified. He was arrested for disorderly conduct.
Authorities said Casella tried to interfere with the arrest of one of his friends by trying to put his body between his friend and the officer attempting the arrest. When officers said they told him to go home, he allegedly cursed at them and said he would go home when he felt like it. Authorities said Casella then tried walking down Patricia Street and bumped into another person who was walking on the sidewalk. Casella then allegedly used hand gestures and curse words in an attempt to engage the other person in a fight. Authorities then arrested Casella, who allegedly tried to resist them but putting his arms in front of him and declaring 'I'm not under arrest.' He was eventually arrested and charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest. He is out of jail on $5,300 bond.
As this was going on, officers were also at the Gig 'Em Food Mart. Authorities said an employee of the store approached them and said there was a problem with a man outside the store.
- Hagen Twardowski, 24, of Bryan
Authorities said Twardowski was eventually arrested outside The Backyard bar on the 300 block of University Drive. He was charged with public intoxication and as an officer said they were trying to bring him back to the transport van, Twardowski would become "dead weight" and fall to the ground in an attempt to stop officers from getting him into the vehicle. Authorities said four officers had to carry Twardowski, who refused to walk.
When officers were trying to get Twardowski into the patrol car and were attempting to carry him through a large crowd, another man refused to get out of the way of the officers. At one point, due to the man's refusal to move, Twardowski allegedly went to the ground again and the officer fell with him. It also knocked the other man who allegedly refused to move down, later identified as Gabriel Tamez, 20, of College Station.
Authorities said the officer stood up and offered a hand to Tamez, who stood up. As the officer was trying to pick Twardowski up off the ground, they said Tamez violently kicked the officer in between the legs.
- Gabriel Tamez, 20, of College Station
Tamez was arrested, taken to the Brazos County jail and charged with assault on an officer. He was released February 19 on $15,000 bond.
At one point, Twardowski was on the ground and allegedly threatened to kick the officers in between their legs. Officers said they picked him up and had to force him into the patrol car. Twardowski was additionally charged with interference with public duties. He bonded out of jail on $2,300.
2:05 a.m. Saturday, February 19 - Several people were arrested in the 100 block of College Main during this time.
- Gabriel Tamez, 20, of College Station
- Erskine Lightfoot, 38, of Fulshear
- Christopher Lingefelt, 39, of Unk
- Alexander Alvarado, 23, of Huntsville
Authorities said Lingefelt assaulted a doorperson at the Social Lounge in the 100 block of College Main. He was arrested and charged with assault. As officers were taking him away, they said Lingefelt's friend, later identified as Lightfoot, became angry. They said Lightfoot took out his phone and began recording officers and saying they did not have the right to arrest Lingefelt.
Officers said after watching surveillance video from the Social Lounge, it showed Lingefelt punch the employee who was escorting him off of the property.
As the officers attempted to move through the crowds on the sidewalk, they said Lightfoot tried to rally the crowd in anger over what the officers were doing. Another officer said they tried to tell Lightfoot to go home but Lightfoot allegedly refused. A member of the crowd began to yell at Lightfoot in support of the CSPD officers, according to the report. Lightfoot then allegedly became angry that he could not get the support he was hoping for and began swearing at members of the crowd, police said. They said Lightfoot began to try and engage members of the crowd to fight him and officers arrested him.
When Lightfoot was taken to the transport van, officers said he pulled down his pants and began urinating all over the transport van, despite there being other offenders and officers inside. He was later charged with disorderly conduct and exposure. He bonded out of jail on February 19 on $600 bond.
Lingefelt was charged with assault and bonded out on $4,000.
Alvarado was arrested after officers said he refused to move away from the area where officers were arresting others. At one point, Alvarado crouched down next to a person who was handcuffed and refused to walk away and allow the officers to do their work. They said Alvarado was intoxicated and would insert himself into the arrests in an attempt to stop it.
He was taken to the Brazos County Jail and charged with public intoxication. He bonded out on $300.
