Tinley Park mayor issues statement after teen carnival ‘flash mob’ – NBC Chicago

After five people were cited and a police officer was injured when a ‘flash mob’ of more than 400 teenagers disrupted a carnival weekend in Tinley Park, the suburb’s mayor released a statement, saying saying “deeply saddened” by the incident.

Mayor Michael Glotz acknowledged the village’s decision to cancel Sunday’s carnival events, while comparing the disruptions to incidents at the Lombard Spring Fever Carnival and Chicago’s 31st Street Beach and calling the events a “growing trend to which we must prepare ourselves”.

“As well as scaring many families and young children trying to have a fun night out, the incident resulted in a police officer being injured and our police department issuing citations to several out-of-town teenagers. town for fighting in public,” Glotz said. “Unfortunately, we were also forced to cancel Sunday’s carnival after police discovered another flash mob was planned on social media that day. -there. It was a difficult decision, but the safety of our residents and visitors is paramount and takes precedence over everything else.”

Officials believe a group of around 400 teenagers formed a “flash mob” during the Armed Forces weekend carnival on Saturday, with authorities saying the teenagers were “responding to a call on social media”.

The group began running through the parking lot, sparking fights between them in an attempt to create chaos and disrupt the event, according to village officials.

More than 50 law enforcement officers, including some from nearby agencies, responded to the scene, village officials said. Photos and videos from the scene show a chaotic environment in which the police seem to break up the fights and disperse the young people.

More than 50 law enforcement officers, including some from nearby agencies, responded to the scene, village officials said. Photos and videos from the scene show a chaotic environment in which the police seem to break up the fights and disperse the young people.

Five teenagers received tickets to public fights, village officials said. Additionally, an officer was injured while “attempting to break up a fight”. The officer was treated at a nearby hospital and then released, officials said.

In an interview with NBC Chicago, Tinley Park Village manager Pat Carr said Saturday’s events unfolded quickly, expressing the difficulty of monitoring many social media platforms. However, he reassured that despite the cancellation, future festivals and planned activities would go ahead as planned.

“We scour social media, but there are so many social media sites and we were ready for something like this to happen, but unfortunately you don’t get everything,” Carr said. “We will continue to hold these festivals and deal with these people if they come to our city.”

Glotz thanked police for their “quick response,” but said some changes would be in store for major events ahead, including things like bag checks, “defined event perimeters,” policies for youth monitoring and more.

“It’s a sad reality, but the days when we could hold an open event of this size without these measures are over,” he said.

Anyone with Sunday Carnival tickets has been asked to contact Windy City Amusements for a refund by calling (630) 443-4547 or calling the Tinley Park Chamber of Commerce at (708) 532-5700.

Read Glotz’s full statement below:

“I am deeply saddened by the flash mob incident that took place at the Armed Forces Carnival at the Tinley Park Chamber of Commerce on Saturday. That evening, around 400 teenagers responded to a call on social media to disrupt the event and cause general chaos by initiating fights with each other and running through the crowd.

In addition to scaring many families and young children trying to enjoy a fun night out, the incident injured a police officer and our police department issued citations to several out-of-town teenagers for s be beaten in public.

We were unfortunately also forced to cancel Sunday’s carnival after police discovered another flash mob was planned on social media that day. It was a difficult decision, but the safety of our residents and visitors is paramount and takes precedence over everything else.

One need only look at similar incidents at the Lombard Spring Fever Carnival and 31st Street Beach in Chicago to see that these flash mobs are a growing trend that we need to be prepared for.

I am incredibly proud of how the Tinley Park Police Department responded that night. With their quick response and the help of several nearby police departments, we were able to get the situation under control and prevent a bad situation from escalating into something much worse. The event could have spread to the surrounding neighborhood, but luckily our officers were able to contain the incident at the 80th Avenue lot. There was also very little property damage and all of our agents acted with the highest level of professionalism. Public safety was their priority during the incident, and they were fantastic in that regard.

That said, you can expect to see even tighter controls in the future during big events like this. Practices such as bag checks, defined event perimeters, youth supervision policies, and other security measures will be integral to large-scale events that have the potential to draw large crowds. It’s a sad reality, but gone are the days when we could hold an open event of this scale without these measures in place.

I also wanted to address some of the horrific comments I’ve seen on social media regarding this incident and the races of those involved. The Village does not tolerate hate speech of any kind. I implore you all to conduct your social media interactions with the same civility and respect you expect in return.

I was also very disappointed to learn that State Senator Michael Hastings began contacting the local press shortly after the armed forces carnival incident to ask them to publish stories about how Tinley Park failed to secure the event and how it had to be evacuated. At a time when he should have offered his help, he instead chose to sow division within our community and spread misinformation. The only way to get through difficult situations like this is to work together, not through covert attacks like the one Senator Hastings attempted.

For those of you who had tickets to Sunday’s Carnival and would like to request a refund, please contact Windy City Amusements at (630) 443-4547 or the Tinley Park Chamber of Commerce at (708) 532-5700. Please note that as this was not a Village event, Village staff are unable to issue refunds and will direct all callers to Windy City Amusements.

Thanks for your time and stay safe.“