Five people were cited and a police officer was hurt after a "flash mob" of more than 400 teens created a disruptive and chaotic scene during a weekend carnival in suburban Tinley Park, officials say.
According to authorities, a group of about 400 teenagers on Saturday were "responding to a call on social media" when they formed a "flash mob" at the Armed Forces Weekend Carnival in Tinley Park.
The group began running through the parking lot, instigating fights among themselves in an effort to create chaos and disrupt the event, according to village officials.
More 50 law enforcement officers, including some from neighboring agencies, responded to the scene, village officials said. Photos and videos from the scene show a chaotic environment in which police officers appear to be breaking up fights and dispersing the young people.
Five teenagers were issued tickets for public fighting, village officials said. Additionally, one officer was injured while "while attempting to break up a fight." The officer was treated at a nearby hospital and later released, officials said.
Due to the events on Saturday, the final day of the carnival was canceled by Tinley Park officials citing safety concerns upon discovery that another disruption could take place.
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"Police made the decision to cancel today’s carnival after they discovered that another flash mob was being planned on social media for Sunday’s event," a weekend update from the Village of Tinley Park read in part.
In an interview with NBC Chicago, Tinley Park Village Manager Pat Carr emphasized the need to protect residents. He explained that they had found a social media post urging people to repeat the previous night's events and that they were unwilling to jeopardize the safety of the community.
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"We found something on social media that asked people to do the same thing as it did last night, and we're not going to put the residents at risk," Carr said.
Carr acknowledged that Saturday's events unfolded quickly, and expressed the difficulty of monitoring numerous social media platforms. However, he reassured that despite the cancellation, future festivals and planned activities would proceed as scheduled.
"We do scour through social media but there are so many social media sites out there and we were prepared for something like that to happen, but unfortunately you don't get everything," Carr said. "We will continue to have these festivals and deal with these individuals if they come to our town."
