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Sacred Heart Festival cut short after ‘juvenile disruptions,’ Pinellas Park police say

By and FOX 13 News Staff
Published  November 17, 2024 3:32pm EST
Pinellas Park
FOX 13 News

Bay Area festival ends early after juvenile fights

The Sacred Heart Festival in Pinellas Park was cut short over the weekend after a series of fights between groups of kids.

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. - The Sacred Heart Festival is normally a family-friendly atmosphere, but police say kids who seemingly planned to disrupt the event on Saturday caused the festival to be cut short.

Authorities say there was also a lack of parental supervision at the bi-annual event.

The Pinellas Park Police Department says multiple officers responded to reports of a gun being seen and/or shots fired, in addition to several fights. However, no gun was found and officers did not hear shots fired while at the event.

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"There were several reports of fights and the officers had to locate the area in which these fights were occurring. At one point, as the officers are approaching large groups of juveniles that are kind of tussling, then a group of individuals will go running in the other direction," Pinellas Park Police Public Information Officer Major Roxanne Pohl said.

Officers say when they responded to the area of one of the reported fights, attendees began running in a stampede-like fashion, and some people were minorly injured.

Four juveniles were arrested for disorderly conduct and there was another arrest for aggravated assault on an officer after someone leaving the festival hit an officer with her car, according to Pinellas Park police. Officials say the officer had minor injuries.

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"The safety and enjoyment of all attendees is our top priority, and it is deeply disappointing that the actions of a few individuals disrupted what was meant to be a positive and inclusive experience for families," said Chief Adam Geissenberger in a statement. "We will continue working closely with church officials to strengthen safety measures for future events. We urge parents to take responsibility for their children's behavior at public events to prevent incidents like this in the future."

Sacred Heart Church made the decision to end the event early on Saturday to ensure the safety and well-being of attendees, but the Sacred Heart Festival continues on Sunday, Nov. 17 until 8 p.m.

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