Police To Step Up Lakefront Patrols After Brawls At North Avenue Beach
CHICAGO (CBS) -- With summer heating up, Chicago police said they will add extra patrols to all city beaches and parks, in the wake of another bloody brawl at North Avenue Beach.
The warm days of June bring what many Chicagoans long for – sun, sand, and good times on the lakefront.
"This is the best summer town in the world, because we've got to squeeze everything into three months," said George Pacius, of Garfield Ridge.
However, at North Avenue Beach, troubling times have been making waves.
Four people were taken to hospitals Friday afternoon, and three people were arrested, after an apparent drunken fracas at North Avenue Beach.
Police said officers were called to the beach for a fight involving intoxicated people around 3 p.m. Two adults and one juvenile were arrested, but no charges had been filed Friday evening, and police did not provide further details.
The Fire Department also was called to the beach for reports of sick teenagers. Four people were taken to hospitals – three minors who were ill, and one adult victim from the fight.
"It's becoming a culture. It's like fight night out here," said beach vendor Montre Caref.
Friday's brawl came just days after another large melee there on Memorial Day. Caref he's been working at North Avenue Beach for three years, and bloody fights like these have become more common this year.
"The last two years were nothing like this. There was never any fights, and such. If ambulances came, they were picking up people who were drinking too much; but the case is now with people who are 16, 17, even 15, and drinking alcohol and all sorts of stuff," he said.
Caref said the fights are creating a bad environment for families who might want to visit the beach.
"I wouldn't bring my kids around here. I don't have kids, but if I did, I wouldn't bring them around here. I mean, it's wild out here," he said.
A couple miles up from North Avenue Beach, police said a bicyclist suffered a fractured elbow on Thursday, when three young men intentionally placed a bike in his way to knock him down, and then robbed him.
Sophia Rios said she was a little worried about bringing her kids to North Avenue Beach on Friday, after hearing about recent brawls.
Not far from where she learned to swim, Rios said set up camp with her family. She said she has dodged mounds of trash, and noticed increasing police patrols, and wondered if a day at the beach is still a day at the beach.
"I used to come here all the time. It's completely different now, though," she said.
Pacius, on the other hand, said the problems won't keep him away from the beach.
"I'm still coming. No one's going to scare me away," he said.
In addition to the fights, the city has been busy cleaning up unusually large mounds of trash left behind by beachgoers in recent weeks.
