Bossier Parish Police Jury members voted unanimously Wednesday to seek an injunction to prevent a weekend event advertised as a Friday 4-wheeler ride and a Saturday trail ride, with musical performances scheduled later both evenings.
With the vote, the police jury authorized the parish attorney to file for an immediate injunction in 26th Judicial District Court against the promoter and the landowner.
According to flyers advertising the trail ride, the location of the event is listed as 165 Fullwood Rd., Princeton. Jury members also voted to close Fullwood Rd. to all but local traffic for the two days.
Parish Administrator Bill Altimus told the jury that an application for the event, reportedly sponsored by Bossmane Riding Club, had been denied in April. Altimus said a committee that studies such requests had found serious problems with past similar events.
Major Charles Gray with the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office said the department has no problems with a trail ride, but pointed to an incident that occurred in DeSoto Parish last weekend as a reason for concern.
News reports show that during a similar trail ride/concert in Grand Cane on Saturday, June 12, gunshots were fired and one person was wounded. EMTs responding to the scene could not get to the victim because of the crowd size and traffic at the site.
“We don’t want happening here what happened in DeSoto Parish,” Gray told the jury. We have no problem with trail ride, it’s the after-party that goes on.”
BPSO Chief Duane Huddleston said attempts to contact promoters of the event have been unsuccessful.
“We have contact information, but we have not been able to contact them at all,” he said. “When the original permit was denied we thought it was over, but we kept seeing on social media that the party is still on.”
Huddleston said DeSoto Parish has experienced shooting incidents at two similar events. He, too, said the trail rides are not the problem.
“Those (rides) start early but this is really an outdoor concert. That’s the event where shootings are occurring across the state,” he said. “Thousands show up, they’re drinking, some have weapons and there are arguments. That’s when problems arise.”
A flyer for the event claims wrist bands for admittance have sold out.
“Social media sites are saying the party is still on and that the parish has blessed it, which is not true,” Huddleston said. “An injunction will be the best issue for us. We will have deputies there and we can turn people around.”
In other business at Wednesday’s meeting, police jury members:
- Awarded bid for Bay Hills subdivision construction entrance improvements project, in accordance with bids received June 11, 2021.
- Awarded bid for Belmere subdivision entrance improvements project, in accordance with bids received June 11, 2021.
- Awarded bid for Project No. 2019-127, realignment of Linton Road bridge over Flat River, in accordance with bids received June 15, 2021.
