Police announced the early shutdown of a carnival in south suburban Posen Sunday night due to a large fight that led to four arrests and may end the annual event.
After several public safety issues over the course of this year’s Posen Park Festival, that started last week, police and the village park district plan to cancel the annual event for next year.
At about 7 p.m. Sunday, Posen police responded to a fight that eventually drew a crowd of up to a couple hundred teenagers and young adults, requiring assistance from neighboring police departments, according to Posen police Chief William Alexander.
Police closed down the carnival, which was scheduled to last until 10 p.m., and released a statement urging residents to avoid the area.
“The fight happened and then it just seemed like everyone went crazy,” Alexander said Monday.
He said the unrest spilled from the fairgrounds at Commissioners Park, 147th and Sacramento streets, to side streets and nearby businesses, and was brought under control around 10 p.m.
The Posen Park Festival opened Thursday evening and was scheduled to run until 10 p.m Sunday. Police have arrested two juveniles and two adults engaged in the fight, Alexander said. He said the fight, in addition to other incidents that happened earlier, led to a joint decision between the Police Department and the Park District to not have the carnival next summer.
“The carnival seems to attract people from all around Chicago and other towns, and it just causes chaos,” Alexander said.
Alexander said in addition to the large fight, police responded during the carnival to a juvenile entering the fairgrounds with a loaded firearm, another smaller fight and rocks being thrown at the windows of a Dunkin Donuts’ store.
The Posen Park District officials declined to comment on the decision to cancel next year’s carnival, but Director Terrence Whitcomb said the Park Board will discuss the carnival issues during its public meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
“Trying to hold a family event and some unruly people come out and have to ruin things like this for everybody. We’re very sad about that,” Whitcomb said Monday afternoon.
ostevens@chicagotribune.com
