GLENS FALLS, N.Y. (NEWS10) – A group of teens, accused of raising havoc in Glens Falls over the summer, have been arrested. Some of their parents were also arrested after their children were charged with committing several crimes.

Glens Falls patrol officers arrested 21 people in connection to incidents that included assaults. The charges range from misdemeanors to felonies. 16 juveniles and five parents were arrested over the course of the summer.

In August the police department released a press release that notified the public it was investigating multiple reports of juveniles committing crimes, mainly in the downtown area.

Police Chief Jarred Smith said there is normally ebbs and flows in the summertime, when youth are out, but he called these reports unusual and alarming. He said they received a large number of complaints.

“They come in weekly. Usually it’s just the minor traffic calls, they’re blocking traffic and harassing motorists. When the motorists or bystanders confront the youth that’s when it starts to escalate,” said Smith.

He said the victims of the assaults were all adults and things escalated quickly after the adults engaged the group to teens.

None of the victims were hospitalized. They did seek medical treatment, according to Collins, but no serious physical injury.

Mayor Bill Collins urged the public to call police, rather than try to handle the situation on their own.

“We needed people to report this to us so we could address it, so if you see something say something. Call us. We need to do it. And don’t engage these kids alone, let us do it,” said Collins.

Juveniles were charged with assault and gang assault and the adults were charged with endangering the welfare of a child for not supervising their children. 

The arrests took some time due to the fact that they are juveniles and fled the locations after the incidents.

“We used a lot of the downtown businesses, they’ve been very cooperative with us providing video. That’s correct, when the police are called and they know that we’re coming, they scatter so we have to backtrack to investigate. We have to get witness statements, try to get video to identify who these juveniles are,” said Smith.

The juvenile cases were filed through family court while the parents are scheduled to appear in city court.