Bricktown business owners speaking out about uptick in violent crime

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — This past weekend, Bricktown had a stabbing and two shootings all within a 24-hour time span.

"Saturday night in particular, we had anywhere from 20 to 25 police officers in the area," Oklahoma City Police Chief Ron Bacy said.

In one of the shootings, police say a 14-year-old pulled the trigger.

"We find 14 year olds with handguns. We know at that age they don't have the maturity to make those type of decisions," Chief Bacy said.

Clark Cummins is the owner of M&S parking on Sheridan and Mickey Mantle Drive.

He says his business has been up and running since the 1970s.

"In the last year or so, it's gotten a lot better here at Sheridan. Prior to that, we had a lot of concerns, and we're even contemplating hiring a private security guard," Cummins said. "Our employees are under strict instructions if problems start happening."

Cummins says he's installed lighting systems around the property and a robust security system.

Chad Huntington is the CEO of Water Taxi in Bricktown.

"When you have a large group of people over time, statistically, you know you're going to have a few bad actors," Huntington said.

Huntington says safety is the ultimate priority.

"Bricktown has invested very heavily in the visitor experience and also in visitor safety and has been working really hard with the Oklahoma City Police Department," Huntington said.