Brawl Shows Problems of Policing Cultural Crossroads

In a rough-and-tumble Langley Park neighborhood, a bloody, chaotic melee involving more than a dozen brawlers broke out on a sweltering night last month.

A short walk from a community center where Prince George's County police and State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey (D) were with hundreds of people at an anti-crime event, officers converged on the parking lot of a brick garden-style apartment complex.

A 16-year-old Latino boy who'd been knocked unconscious lay on a concrete walkway. His father, a construction worker, limped around with ligament damage to his ankle. Paramedics tended to a young black man who had been stabbed in the abdomen.

At first glance, the fracas appeared to have been sparked by racial conflict.

Police arrested and charged a Latino man with stabbing the black man and arrested a black man on charges of attacking the Latinos.

But the conflict wasn't simply a racial battle, according to interviews and court records. It involved misunderstandings over insults and possibly mistaken identity.

The fight and subsequent investigation provide a snapshot of the challenges facing police in a neighborhood with a growing number of Latinos who speak little or no English and a dwindling number of African Americans.

Some Latino residents say the police are cavalier about investigating incidents involving Spanish speakers.

In this case, an unusually determined Latino witness helped investigators identify a suspect who might otherwise have gone uncharged.

Police Maj. Kevin Davis, commander of the district that includes the immigrant-rich communities of Langley Park and Hyattsville, says he's aware of the area's policing difficulties.

"We have challenges that no other police district has. The more we can put it out in the community that we are willing to interact with you in your native language, the better," Davis said.

The melee began about 9:30 p.m. Aug. 1.