CLEVELAND — A Lake County church festival was disrupted Saturday night by what authorities called "unruly behavior" by teens and young adults, leading to multiple arrests and prompting the parish to adjust its plan for Sunday.
According to a news release from the Lake County Sheriff's Office, deputies made four arrests at the annual festival at St. Gabriel Parish in Concord Township after "numerous altercations" contributed to an "increasingly volatile atmosphere."
The sheriff's office said the fights and large crowds "overwhelmed" deputies at the scene, and multiple other police forces were called to provide mutual aid. Authorities say the festival was closed down early on Saturday to prevent the situation from escalating.
"We are very saddened by what happened, but grateful for many ways in which we responded to this, certainly by way of executing a plan that was in place with great cooperation from our law enforcement people," Fred Pausche, pastor of St. Gabriel Parish, said in a video posted to social media.
Sheriff's deputies said the fracas continued into the surrounding neighborhoods and businesses as the festival was evacuated, "due to many of the agitators awaiting transportation away from the area."
Deputies said of the four youths arrested, one was in possession of a gun, though deputies and the parish said no shots were fired. "Several" of the juveniles involved in the fights sustained minor injuries, as did one deputy.
According to authorities, none of the people arrested were members of the parish, nor were they residents of Concord Township or Lake County.
Following the chaotic Saturday night, St. Gabriel Parish made the decision to close the festival at 8 p.m. on Sunday. The festival's carnival rides will be shut down for all of Sunday. The raffle drawing will be moved to a different location and held in a different location.
The sheriff's office noted that it had heightened security at the St. Gabriel Parish and other festivals as similar situations have broken out at other festivals in the area. The altercations at the St. Gabriel festival occurred the same night that a person was arrested for allegedly firing "several" gunshots at the Macedonia Summerfest in Summit County. No injuries were reported in connection to the gunfire.
"Our summer festival is primarily and fundamentally all about community — celebrating our community, who we are, engaging over 1,200 volunteers who give themselves so selflessly and with such great joy," Pausche said. "We're not going to let anything deter that in any way."
"We feel very confident that we will be safe [Sunday]," Paushe continued, "that we will have great food, great entertainment and a great time for us to continue to gather as a community to celebrate who we are, and to welcome people to come celebrate with us."