Officials said that a “flash mob”, consisting of 400 teens, converged on a suburban area outside of Chicago on Saturday during the Armed Forces Carnival and started fighting amongst themselves, forcing the event to be canceled.
Town officials reported that the mayhem in suburban Tinley Park broke out after hundreds of teenagers responded on social media and gathered at the carnival near the 80th Avenue station. They then began fighting each other and running around the parking area to “cause confusion and disrupt the event,” they said. The village posted on Facebook that the final day of the festival was canceled due to safety concerns arising from a flash mob incident that occurred at the Saturday event.
Social media videos show a mob of teens jumping on cars and running through parking lots, while police try to break up fights.
The town of Tinley Park reported that a Tinley Park officer was injured when he tried to break up an argument. The officer was treated at the hospital and released later in the evening.
According to the authorities, the police released the majority of the teens back into their parents’ custody, and five teenagers received citations for fighting publicly. During the incident, no shots were fired.
After learning of a planned teen flash mob on social media, officials in the Tinley Park suburb canceled the carnival on Sunday.
Michael Salerno, of Windy City Amusements in Chicago told FOX32 Chicago that the kids were acting like fools. It’s a shame. “Everyone was having fun.”
The Armed Forces Carnival, a three-day annual event that includes rides and games, brings together hundreds of families and raises funds for local charities.
Tinley Park, a suburb located southwest of Chicago.
Last month, hundreds of teenagers rioted in downtown Chicago. They smashed car windows, attacked bystanders, and sent tourists fleeing from gunfire.
Here is footage from Fox News:
As a response to the “teen takeover”, a group of 400 Black men and pastors joined Bishop Tavis Grant in an anti-violence march. They wanted to show that the youth who had destroyed property and assaulted tourists during the incident, could turn to positive role models as well as work opportunities.