Five people arrested after ‘car meet-up’ in Methuen, hours after 7 people were shot at similar gathering

Five people were arrested in Methuen Sunday night after participating in a possible “car meet-up,” according to police, just hours after seven people were shot when hundreds gathered for a similar event in the city.

The arrestees ranged in age from 17 to 24 and are charged with trespassing, Methuen police said in a statement. 

Police were dispatched to an area in the Broadway Sector at about 11:15 p.m. for a report of loud music and a possible car meet-up in progress, according to the statement. There, officials found that five vehicles had gathered, and three had “large speakers” on top of them, the department said.

“Methuen has a zero-tolerance policy for this type of activity, especially in light of the incident that occurred less than 24 hours earlier involving hundreds in attendance,” Methuen police said in the statement. 

Eight people were injured, two critically, when someone opened fire on a car meet-up at 100 Lindberg Ave. early Sunday morning, officials said. No suspects had been arrested in that incident as of Sunday afternoon.

In a press conference Sunday, Methuen Police Chief Scott McNamara said that car meetups are usually organized through social media and involve young people listening to loud music, vaping, drinking, and participating in disorderly conduct. 

McNamara said the police department has been cracking down on the gatherings by monitoring social media and spots where the meet-ups usually happen. The gatherings don’t usually escalate to the kind of violence that happened Sunday morning, McNamara said, but officials often cite participants for violations like trespassing. 

The people arrested Sunday night are not believed to have been involved in the Sunday morning incident, Methuen police said. 

The location where people gathered Sunday night was private property, with several “No Trespassing” signs posted in the area, police said. 

All vehicles were towed from the location. A 17-year-old who was arrested was released to his mother after being booked, according to police.

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