A friendly family church festival in Concord Township got out of hand Saturday night, leading to multiple arrests and the event being shut down to "prevent the situation from escalating further," according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
It happened at the St. Gabriel Parish Festival.
The sheriff's office said that as the evening progressed there was an increase in "unruly behavior" from multiple people, mostly juveniles, at the event.
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The number of issues at the festival increased to the point where deputies working the festival called for mutual aid from the Ohio State Highway Patrol and multiple neighborhood police departments. Minor injuries were reported, including one deputy who was working.
"There was a number of large fights," Chief Deputy Robert Izzo explained.
The sheriff's office said that the situation spilled over into the surrounding neighborhoods after the crowds were dispersed, as many of the unruly individuals were waiting on rides for more than three hours.
In total, four people— all minors— were arrested; one was found with a firearm. No shots are believed to have been fired.
"The deputy security detail at this festival and others has been increased in recent years due to similar incidents occurring in the surrounding areas. The St. Gabriel Parish and its members have been and continue to be very strong partners of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office," the agency said.
The sheriff's office said the individuals arrested were not parishioners, from Concord Township or even Lake County residents.
To prevent additional incidents from happening on Sunday, carnival rides at the festival would not reopen.
Deputy Chief Izzo told News 5 they're now looking at suggesting these kinds of festivals possibly remove carnival rides and maybe require a parent or guardian be present.
"It’s our priority that we make sure good honest people can come and have a good time and enjoy these events," he said. "We don't want to get into a situation where we're reluctant to take part in these kinds of events."
Earlier this month, the Mayfield Heights police chief voiced his frustration with the juvenile court system and annual church festivals after 200 juveniles went to a church festival in Lyndhurst, where multiple fights broke out, spilling over into Mayfield Heights and causing several businesses there to close early.
Following that event, the Diocese of Cleveland issued a statement, which they said still holds true following what happened at the St. Gabriel Parish festival:
“...Individual parishes will determine what makes sense in their communities from a fundraising and safety perspective. We encourage parishes who are holding summer festivals to work with their local police departments and to take all possible steps to provide secure environments for their festival attendees.”
