BATON ROUGE - City officials will discuss for the first time, incidents that happened during an Earth Day celebration in downtown almost two weeks ago.

On Sunday, April 17th, there were a series of fights between young people. Police responded to numerous issues during the Earth Day event. The arrest of a 16-year-old was recorded, showing a Baton Rouge Police officer punching the teenager as he was being handcuffed. After the video, the officer was placed on administrative leave while the department conducts an internal investigation. Later, the WBRZ Investigative Unit learned the officer involved, Sergeant Todd Bourgoyne, had faced serious disciplinary action by the department in the past.

Chaotic altercations between young people at the downtown festival were posted on Twitter. Three teens associated with the fights tried to steal a car from the parking garage at the Belle of Baton Rouge and fired a gun when they confronted the driver.

Friday, city officials have planned a news conference to discuss the issues. Among those who are scheduled to be in attendance are the mayor, district attorney, police chief and prominent area pastors. The city said it will release more information Friday morning. Monitor WBRZ.com for updates and for a live stream of the news conference.

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