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Hill Section Attack Caught on Camera

SCRANTON — While they don’t have the final numbers yet, police in Scranton say there were fewer than usual arrests during the St. Patrick’s Pa...

SCRANTON -- While they don't have the final numbers yet, police in Scranton say there were fewer than usual arrests during the St. Patrick's Parade on Saturday.

However, later that evening, there were several violent attacks in the hill section where many young people were attending parties.

While police in Scranton say stepped up security worked well during the parade, they admit preventing violence at the parties that follow in the hill section continues to be a challenge.

Three people were stabbed at one gathering on Vine Street, and on Mulberry Street, a student was seriously injured after officers say he was sucker punched.

Police say that punch left Justin Durcan lying on the sidewalk. Video posted to Facebook shows the chaos on Mulberry Street.

The fight was one of several that unfolded in the hill section during the hours following the St. Patrick's Parade in Scranton on Saturday.

"You cannot relate that directly to the parade. Unfortunately, the extracurricular activities that take place outside the parade area, that's where we have the problem," said Scranton Police Captain Dennis Lukasewicz.

Officers say the cell phone video is helping to identify the man who attacked Durcan, a student at the University of Scranton.

There was another attack on Vine Street the same night. Detectives are looking for the man shown running across the street in security video. He's believed to have stabbed three people at a party there.

Police say the trouble at the party started when a guest used a closet as a bathroom. When people tried to show him out, detectives say he started slashing people.

One of the stabbing victims is also a university student. All three are now out of the hospital.

People in the hill section wonder what can be done to stop the violence on parade day.

"It depends who is causing these crimes, what's causing the crimes. Is it college kids? Is it the local community? you have to identify who these people are first."

Mayor Bill Courtright is working on new ways for the city and the university to get control in the hill section where so many students live.

"The University of Scranton has cameras there, and so we are going to try to work with them to try to get them to link into our system so we can watch their cameras," said Mayor Courtright.

Several business owners say the fighting and drinking is such a big concern, they chose to close on parade day.

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