Hopewell News

An arrest has been made in a melee outside of the Beacon Theatre Saturday night.
Police were called to the theatre during a sweet 16 party when it was discovered that it had swelled beyond the 100 invited guests. About 200 people who were not invited managed to get into the building though a misinformed chaperone and party crashers who opened back doors for others. An additional 100 were in the streets around the building waiting to get in. Word has spread through text messages and Facebook that there was a party.
The large crowd eventually engaged in several fights, police said. As the crowd was dispersed and fights were broken up, officers found several combative people, one of which — Timothy Akeem Eldridge, 22, of Petersburg — was charged with disorderly conduct.
One person was transported to the John Randolph Medical Center to be treated for injuries sustained after being knocked to the ground and kicked by several unidentified people.
The Beacon Theatre followed all of its protocols after the party crashers were identified. Before the event began, police were informed that there was an event going on, which is standard procedure. Once the overcrowding was noticed, police were called to aid in the removal of the uninvited guests and the building was secured to keep those who found alternative ways in from entering.
The board of the Beacon discussed the incident Tuesday evening and discussed potential changes to ensure that larger than anticipated crowds do not happen again.
The Beacon has had over 500 events in the portions of the building with completed renovation. That number includes several sweet 16 parties.