Street War Between Two Immigrant Groups Escalates, Man Found Beaten With Baseball Bat

Posted: Tue 7:46 PM, Jun 09, 2015
By: Nicole Johnson

watch video report at link.

A street war between two immigrant groups continues to escalate; the latest battle sent a man to the hospital after being injured by a baseball bat.

What started with a brawl in Lindenwood Park on Sunday night picked up with another rumble on Monday night. Things started in the Sprit Shop parking lot on 13th Avenue South and ended a block away outside an apartment.

Police found an unconscious man with head trauma. Those living and working in the area say they are frustrated no one has been arrested.

"It is frustrating you know especially sometimes when you think you have enough information for them to make an arrest,” says Night side manager at the Spirit Shop, Dan Nicholson. He says he’s upset over an uptick of crime, including the fight in this parking lot between two groups of immigrants.

"They came in and said a guy had a gun, they denied the person had a gun when the police got here, so they are not trying to help the police in anyway," says Nicholson.

He says there seems to be no end in sight, because police didn't arrest anyone. "They have their hands tied, they show up somewhere and they can't make arrests because of whatever reason, that's what's affecting their work too, and that's the frustrating part. I can have an officer here in two minutes trying to apprehend an individual or however it works out, and they get to go home that night.”

Nicholson is calling for a change of policies, saying the ongoing crime is making his business look bad. He turned over video to the police from The Spirt Shop surveillance camera.

"We have been able to identify some who are responsible and ultimately charge them with the offenses that are appropriate," says Lt. Joel Vettel with the Fargo Police Department. He says there's no threat to the public, and the immigrant groups aren't gang related. "You have to have certain perimeters that are set up by the federal government to be able to identify someone as a gang member, and none of those perimeters are really met at this point.

"To me when a group of people no matter what is committing crimes together I guess I’d classify that as a gang," says Nicholson.

Crimes affecting more than just Nicholson's back yard. Those living next to an apartment where one of Sunday's fights happened are concerned too.

Susan Koskela was driving home when she saw the smashed windows, and a large group talking to police. "I guess things can happen anywhere, but I mean there have just been more and more things in Fargo the last several years. So, but, yeah when it's this close to home it's not a good thing."

Police aren't saying what country the two immigrant groups came from. When we asked they said it's "not relevant." We still don't know the condition of the man beaten with the baseball bat.
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