An incident involving local youth at the Madison Public Library Lakeview Branch created a “loud and frenzied” scene, according to a City of Madison detective describing the occurrence Monday.
The incident started when a group of 15 to 20 teens refused a librarian’s request to leave the building after being described as loud and disturbing.
Four officers responded to the scene but were met with pushback from the teens, including a kick in the groin delivered by a female toward one officer. The North District Community Police Team was then called for backup.
According to the incident report, the teens claimed the officers could not touch them and responded to officer’s requests by knocking over trash cans, and in one case, throwing a half-filled bottle of juice across the room.
“[We were] met with angry belligerence and outright refusal to comply with a lawful command," one responding officer said.
At the end of the dispute, five juveniles were given municipal citations for infractions like disorderly conduct, trespass after notification, and resisting. Officers explained the charges to the parents of those cited and released them to their care.
