5 people arrested at late-night “car meet” in Methuen – NBC Boston

A handful of people were arrested late Sunday night at a “car meet” in Methuen, Massachusetts, less than 24 hours after a large impromptu party in an industrial area of ​​the city was shot at, leaving at least seven people injured.

Methuen police said their officers responded to an area in the Broadway sector for reports of loud music and a possible car crash around 11:15 p.m. Once on scene, officers found five cars gathered there, three of which had large speakers on their roofs.

Five people, ranging in age from 17 to 24, were arrested and charged with trespassing. The teen was released to his mother after being registered with Methuen police, police said, noting that names, photos and other details would not be released.

According to police, the meeting location is private property and there are several signs around the property saying “No Trespassing”. All vehicles were towed from the property.

The arrests were part of the department’s #HarmReduction campaign and police said they were committed to cracking down on traffic violations.

“Methuen has a zero tolerance policy for such activity, especially in light of the incident that occurred less than 24 hours earlier and involved hundreds of people,” police said in a statement. Police added that they do not believe these individuals were involved in the incident that occurred in the city the previous Sunday.

Several people were shot and injured when gunfire rang out at a large gathering in Methuen, Massachusetts, early Sunday morning. Follow NBC10 Boston on… Instagram: instagram.com/nbc10boston TikTok: tiktok.com/@nbc10boston Facebook: facebook.com/NBC10Boston X: twitter.com/NBC10Boston

On Sunday morning, officials said hundreds of people had gathered in the area around 100 Lindberg Avenue for a “spontaneous party” or “car club meeting” organized via social media.

Shots rang out shortly before 2 a.m., injuring seven people, two of them in critical condition, said Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker. He noted that it was incredible that more people were not injured or killed, given the amount of ballistic evidence recovered. An eighth person was injured while trying to flee the scene. The victims ranged in age from 17 to 23.

Tucker said they are actively pursuing all leads in this case, which was part of a series of Snapchat events on social media where people gather.

Methuen Police Chief Scott McNamara said authorities have been monitoring other “hotspots” where such gatherings typically take place, but Sunday’s attack occurred in a new location and was the first to turn violent.

“Typically, these gatherings involve very loud music, disorderly behavior and sometimes alcohol consumption,” he said. “We try to take steps to prevent that, and we’ve done a pretty good job of doing that. Unfortunately, there was a tragic incident here in Methuen last night.”

Police declined to comment on a suspect, but said they had several leads. No weapons were seized.

Authorities hope surveillance video from the scene will provide some answers. They are asking any partygoers who have video to come forward. Anyone else with information is asked to contact Methuen police.