Multiple fights involving teens disrupt City Fest in O'Fallon
O’FALLON, Ill. - The O’Fallon Police Department is emphasizing safety after multiple fights and reports of shooting involving minors broke out during City Fest this past weekend.
In a news release, police say the frequency of the disturbances was “severe,” forcing many businesses around the festival to close until crowd members dispersed.
Law enforcement agencies from Belleville, Fairview Heights, and Shiloh, as well as the Illinois State Police, assisted in crowd control measures, which included shutting off U.S. Highway 50 at Hilgard and Lincoln. Police also directed unaccompanied minors to leave the area.
Despite these controlled measures, O’Fallon Police say two officers were injured. About 17 arrests were made on Friday and Saturday. Sixteen of those arrests involved minors.
In one incident, officers say they had to deploy pepper spray and pepper balls to de-escalate a series of fights involving teens. One 14-year-old is facing pending charges with the State’s Attorney Office for allegedly shooting a gun behind a Community Financial.
Four minors, regarding the shooting incident reported above, were released without charges, according to O’Fallon Police.
“This year’s City Fest has shown that nostalgia for how events were once held cannot outweigh the responsibility of keeping our community safe. Public safety must always come first, and moving forward, every festival or gathering will be planned with that priority at the forefront,” O’Fallon Police wrote.
