AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Police Department (APD) shared a report Thursday regarding its violent crimes initiative during South By Southwest (SXSW) 2022.
According to APD Assistant Chief Jerry Bauzon, the initiative during the festival was focused on gun-related crimes, such as people illegally carrying firearms, and human trafficking incidents that included prostitution. He said it was also an objective to disrupt or prevent violent crimes in Downtown Austin.
Bauzon said that between March 11 and March 19, officers confiscated 61 firearms, 250 pounds of marijuana, made 130 arrests, and confiscated "numerous other narcotics." A total of $10,000 in cash was also seized.
Those narcotics included:
- 309 lbs of THC edibles
- 65 lbs of psilocybin edibles
- 2.5 oz. of crack cocaine
- 2.3 oz. of heroin
- 2 oz. of methamphetamines
- 2 oz of promethazine
- 1/2 kilo of fentanyl
- 3.53 g pills of fentanyl
"From a public safety standpoint, SXSW 2022 was a success. While there were two shootings over the entire 10-day festival, we will never know how many violent incidents were prevented from the seizure of these 61 firearms," he said.
One of the shootings happened on the last day SXSW in the 400 block of E. Sixth Street. Four people were injured in the incident and officials said those injuries were minor. The department said that the shooting resulted from a disturbance between two groups of people in the Sixth Street Entertainment District.
During the festival, both APD and Austin-Travis County EMS heightened their presence throughout Downtown Austin in an effort to keep residents and festivalgoers safe.
The department said five of the arrests made in the 10-day span were for solicitation of prostitution with a charge enhancement for soliciting a minor. Bauzon said it is the norm whenever there is a large-scale event anywhere around the U.S.
"Unfortunately, predators use these large-scale events to make money and to solicit illegal pleasures," he said.
The assistant chief said fentanyl and fentanyl-related narcotics were seized before SXSW from around the city, including at the airport.
"So, our organized crime division was able to intercept these drugs before they hit our Austin area," he said.
Watch the full press conference here:
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