South Cook News

Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz has issued a press release following a disruptive flash mob event that caused the cancelation of a festival event.

According to the press release, during the May 20 Tinley Park Chamber of Commerce's Armed Forces Carnival, roughly 400 teenagers from the area and other neighboring communities starting running through the crowd, fighting each other and disrupting the event. The youngsters had reportedly been part of a flash mob that was organized on several social media sites. Five teenagers were cited for public fighting and one officer was injured and later released from the hospital. Authorities were forced to shut down Sunday's carnival after they discovered that another flash mob event was being planned on social media. 

Glotz said that the event, very similar to the situation at Lombard Spring Fever Carnival and the 31st Street Beach in Chicago, are an example of how times are changing and flash mobs are a “growing trend that we must be prepared for.”

In his press release, Glotz commended Tinley Park police for their actions saying, “I’m incredibly proud of how the Tinley Park Police Department responded that night. Thanks to their quick response and the aid of several neighboring police departments, we were able to get things under control and stop a bad situation from escalating into something much worse. The event could have spilled over into the surrounding neighborhood, but fortunately our officers were able to contain the incident to the 80th Avenue grounds. There was also very little damage caused to property, and all of our officers acted with the highest level of professionalism. Public safety was their priority during the incident, and they were fantastic in that regard.”

Glotz also warned residents that they “can expect to see even tighter controls in the future” at events, including bag checks, perimeters, and youth supervision policies. He also expressed his displeasure with some reactions to the event, particularly those of State Senator Michael Hastings who contacted the local press shortly after the flash mob incident to report on how the city failed to provide proper security at the event. 

“At a time when he should have been offering us assistance, he chose instead to sow division within our community and spread misinformation,” Glotz said. “The only way to get through tough situations like this is by working together, not through covert attacks like the one Sen. Hastings attempted.”