East Ridge police arrested a man who allegedly was wielding a knife and threatened to get a gun during a brawl at Pioneer Frontier Park on Friday afternoon.
Andre Thomas, 40, of a 2nd Avenue address in Chattanooga, was charged with Felony Reckless Endangerment. He was released from jail on a $5,000 bond and is due to appear in East Ridge Municipal Court on April 14, officials said.
According to an affidavit of complaint, police were called to the playground on Tombras Avenue next to City Hall at 2:45 p.m. on a “fight.” When the first officer arrived, the report states, he saw about 30 people congregated in front of the History Museum and the park. As he got out of his vehicle several people began running from the scene shouting “he has a gun.”
The report states that the officer asked a juvenile who had the gun and the juvenile pointed to a man in a red shirt who was later identified as Thomas.
The officer approached Thomas and ordered him to the ground. When backup officers arrived, Thomas was cuffed and searched, the report states. No gun was found.
Officers spoke to several witnesses who said that Thomas brandished and swung a knife in the middle of a crowd of juveniles. According to the affidavit, witnesses told police that Thomas said he was going to get some “heat,” meaning he was going to get a gun while walking back to his car parked in a nearby lot.
Officers went to the car and ordered Thomas’ juvenile daughter out of the vehicle. The report states that one officer saw the daughter attempt to conceal an open pocketknife under several items she was carrying.
The juvenile was taken into custody for tampering with evidence. She was additionally charged with Criminal Trespassing, as it was discovered she was trespassed from the park on Sept. 3, 2019. The girl was taken to the Hamilton County Juvenile Detention Center, the report states.