SALEM — Trouble was on tap for police yesterday as the bars closed for the night and fights broke out on the street, resulting in four arrests.
At 12:49 a.m., police were called to the Fresh Taste of Asia, a restaurant and bar in downtown Salem, for a report of a fight outside at the intersection of Washington and Essex streets.
Police arrived and began breaking up large crowds created by patrons exiting other bars closing for the night.
Police made their first arrest when, they said, Joseph E. Penachio Jr., 30, of Revere, was "throwing punches at innocent bystanders." Penachio was charged with disorderly conduct.
Police said the fight started inside the Fresh Taste of Asia and police made their way inside for two more arrests.
Luis Perez, 25, of 3 Rainbow Terrace, Salem, and William Correa, 30, of Saugus, were charged with disorderly conduct because they refused to leave the restaurant.
While handling the scene at the restaurant, police were called to the YMCA parking lot nearby on Sewall Street for a report of another fight.
There, police arrested Jamie Candelaria, 26, of 39 Railroad Ave., Beverly, and charged him with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for beating and kicking a 36-year-old Nahant man.
Salem police had to call in police from Salem State College for backup, but they were not needed: When the campus police arrived, the crowds had already begun clearing, city police said.
