Illinois Carnival is Shut Down After ‘Flash Mob’ of Teens Cause Chaos

What is a Flash Mob?

When it first became popular back in the early 2000s, Flash Mobs were when a large group would gather in a public place all at once, then disperse quickly and it was done as a form of "entertainment, satire, and artistic expression," according to Wikipedia.

Flash mobs may be organized via telecommunications, social media, or viral emails

Is It Illegal in Illinois to Organize a Flash Mob?

According to legislation signed in 2013 by then-Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, you can be sentenced to up to 6-years in prison if you are "convicted of using social media or electronic communication to organize or solicit a violent flash mob."

Governor Quinn took a hard stance against flash mobs nearly 10 years ago to the day when he said "Violent mob action, organized by social media or cell phone, is a troubling trend in cities and we must do everything possible to stop it in its tracks."

'Flash Mob' of Over 400 Teens Start Fights and Chaos in Tinley Park

Videos have surfaced from the Armed Forces Weekend Carnival in Tinley Park that showed fighting and chaos in large groups of kids around the amusement rides area.

This video was posted on the @ArabChicago Twitter page and appears to have been taken from a Ferris Wheel at the event and shows a large group of people in a small area with several fights happening within the "flash mob."

Law enforcement is seen in the video attempting to break up the fights and take some of the individuals into custody.

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Other videos were taken from inside the crowd of kids and show how widespread the fighting was in this particular area of the carnival.

According to NBC Chicago, there was one officer hurt during the melee and 5 of the teens were issued citations for fighting before being released.