Despite some social media posts blaming a large-scale Cincinnati police response after Reds Opening Day festivities on unruly juveniles, the vast majority of those charged in the disturbances were adults.

Hamilton County Juvenile Court Judge Kari Bloom said only one child has appeared in court so far in connection with groups misbehaving in Downtown and Over-the-Rhine. That charge was for littering, Bloom told The Enquirer, and the teen is being held at the Hamilton County Youth Center for a warrant from a different county.

Two girls were also brought to the youth center on disorderly conduct charges on the evening of March 26, she said. It currently remains unclear if those charges are related to issues at The Banks and elsewhere. Neither child is being held in custody.

In a statement on March 27, Interim Cincinnati Police Chief Adam Hennie said 17 people were arrested, ranging in age from 14 to 50. Those arrests include charges of disorderly conduct, having weapons while intoxicated, failure to comply, assault and resisting arrest. He did not identify those individuals.

A 3CDC worker cleans up trash outside The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center on Friday, March 27, 2026, the day after the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day game against the Boston Red Sox in Cincinnati.

A 3CDC worker cleans up trash outside The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center on Friday, March 27, 2026, the day after the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day game against the Boston Red Sox in Cincinnati.

"We as a department planned extensively for this event and ensured we had appropriate staffing levels throughout the day to support public safety," Hennie said. "Unfortunately, as the day progressed, officers encountered several groups whose behavior became disruptive and unruly."

Cincinnati police union President Ken Kober blamed the unruly behavior and fights largely on juveniles, with Cincinnati Public Schools on spring break until April 3. Others agreed in posts and comments on social media.

However, the charges police filed, as a result of their enforcement actions in the city's urban core, show that's not true, Bloom said.

"We expect them to participate in the world in a safe and healthy manner," she told The Enquirer. "And most of them were doing that."

The judge worries that adults rushing to judgment about children's behavior on Opening Day might harm their perception of how they should act. She said the blame should instead be placed on the adults who knew better.

"If we tell them that they're bad, they're going to be bad," Bloom said, "they don't have any reason not to be."

She cautioned people about information shared online and urged them to listen to official updates from the police, saying that posts on social media can distract from the truth.

"I applaud (Cincinnati police) in the way that they responded and the way they diffused those situations," she said, "and the way that they have responsibly reported on what happened."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Adults to blame for unruly crowds on Reds' Opening Day, judge says