OCEAN CITY — Three Baltimore-area men were arrested on various charges last weekend after allegedly causing a disturbance on the Boardwalk over a skateboarding incident.
Around 11:20 a.m. last Saturday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers were patrolling on the Boardwalk in the area of 9th Street when they observed Javon Thomas, 26, of Baltimore, skateboarding in violation of a city ordinance. An OCPD officer stopped Thomas, told him to get off the skateboard and provide identification, but Thomas refused to comply, according to police reports.
The officer reportedly advised Thomas he was not allowed to ride a skateboard on the Boardwalk at that time, but Thomas repeatedly ignored requests to dismount and provide in identification information. According to police reports, Thomas began to shout loudly and drew the attention of around 100 people on the crowded Boardwalk, who reportedly formed a half circle and began filming the incident. According to police reports, there were young families including children in strollers among the mid-morning Boardwalk crowd.
According to police reports, Thomas shouted he was being singled out and that there were other skateboarding violations going on, although no other skateboarders were seen in the immediate area. At that point, another man, identified as Tamil Witherspoon, 26, of Parkville, started to physically and verbally hinder the OCPD investigation into Thomas’ identification, at one point physically placing himself between the officers and the suspect while shouting at police and protesting the stop.
At that point, a third man identified as Quincy West-Crump, 25, of Baltimore, intervened and attempted to get Witherspoon away from the officers despite being told not to interfere. West-Crump then attempted to grab Thomas to get him away from the OCPD’s custody. When officers attempted to hold West-Crump back, he allegedly slapped their arms away and continued to intervene.
In the end, Thomas was arrested and charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and failure to obey a lawful order. Witherspoon was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing and hindering. West-Crump was arrested and charged with two counts of assault on police officers, disorderly conduct and obstructing and hindering.
