Incident during 4th of July celebrations leads to an arrest

COVINGTON, Georgia – An arrest was made following an incident during the Independence Day celebrations in the city of Covington.

Officers with the Covington Police Department (CPD) arrested 20-year-old Dante Sylvester of Covington for disorderly conduct after he allegedly threw fireworks amidst a large crowd in Covington Square.

According to a CPD report, the officer who responded to the call heard a loud explosion outside Scoops Ice Cream. After the explosion, the officer said he saw fireworks “flying in all directions through the crowd,” causing over 30 people to run into each other.

When the officer investigated, he encountered a group of men, including a “slim-built individual” wearing a black hoodie, a white and black backpack, and a ski mask.

Sylvester was also identified in the narrative by a clothing description: white T-shirt and gray sweatpants at the corner of the Lula Building at Church and College Avenue. The officer allegedly saw Sylvester reach into the first man’s backpack and pull out a “Roman candle-style firework.”

As the officer approached the group of men, both Sylvester and the man with the backpack fled. The officer attempted to catch the suspect with the backpack, but lost him in the large crowd.

While searching for the backpack suspect, the officer spotted Sylvester outside Axe Town. This led to a foot chase during which Sylvester reportedly kicked and shoved several innocent bystanders.

Eventually, Sylvester encountered another police officer, was handcuffed, and taken to the Newton County Jail.

While Sylvester was being taken away, two more fireworks were set off, after which the men “fled the scene,” the story says.

It is unclear if the other suspects have been identified or arrested. The Covington News has asked for further clarification.

Covington Police released a statement on July 5 condemning the behavior of Sylvester and other troublemakers at the event.

“Last night’s Independence Day fireworks display at the park on July 4th was a spectacular event. Unfortunately, during the annual celebration at the square, groups of unsupervised youth committed reckless acts that caused others to panic and run away in fear,” the CPD said in a statement. “Our department made several arrests at the event and had many leave the event due to their behavior. No injuries were initially reported in the incidents, but many left the event early out of fear of the actions of people in that crowd.”

“After every major event in our community, city officials meet to discuss various logistical issues surrounding the event. Of course, the most important aspect of any event is the safety of our guests. Safety concerns raised during the event are discussed in detail to improve our safety protocols in the future.”

Covington City Council member Travis Moore told the public in a social media post in response to the city’s statement that plans are in place to review the city’s public safety measures during large events.

“We want to inform you that a work session is scheduled for August. During this session, we will involve leadership and public safety officials,” Moore said in a social media post. “Public safety is our top priority. We have acknowledged the recent incident. At our next meeting, we will work together on solutions to prevent incidents like this from happening again. The Covington Police Department did an excellent job with this crowd.”