BERKLEY (WWJ) — Police officials in Berkley have released more details about the series of fights that led to the early closure of the Berkley Days festival Saturday night.
Officials shortened the hours of Sunday’s festival events in response to the Saturday incidents. The Berkley Department of Public Safety (DPS) said the 98th annual festival “concluded on a positive note” on Sunday.
With the event at maximum capacity, it was shut down around 7 p.m. Saturday after a fight involving “several unaccompanied minors” broke out. Officials said in a press release Monday one juvenile was taken to the hospital for minor injuries sustained in the fight.
Authorities have not specified how many people were involved in the fight or what sparked it.
DPS personnel and event staff responded by shutting down games and rides to “manage the situation and ensure the safety of all participants,” the press release said.
As crowds were dispersing, two more fights broke out between unaccompanied minors, but officials said they were “quickly contained by officers.” It was not immediately clear if anyone was injured in the secondary fights.
Three unaccompanied minors from outside of Berkley were arrested on charges related to assault and battery, DPS officials said. It was not immediately clear if they were involved in the initial fight or the others that broke out during the process of clearing out.
Neighboring communities’ police departments — including Huntington Woods, Royal Oak, Oak Park, Lathrup Village, Pleasant Ridge, Southfield, Bloomfield Hills, and Bloomfield Township — helped DPS control crowds as they left the festival Saturday night.
Crowds were directed to control points at 11 Mile and Coolidge Highway to await transportation and avoid disturbances to surrounding neighborhoods, according to DPS.
It was the second consecutive year that Berkley Days had to be shut down early due to minors fighting.
Updated rules were put in place for the final day of the festival on Sunday, including requiring all minors be accompanied by an adult over 21. The festival closed at 4 p.m. Sunday instead of 6 p.m., noting it “concluded smoothly.”
Berkeley DPS Lt. Andrew Hadfield said “safety measures put in place following last year’s event allowed us to manage Saturday’s incident to the best of our ability.”
“Our action plan was informed by a year’s worth of research and planning, following best practices set by surrounding communities. Our officers really stepped up, volunteering for unscheduled overtime this weekend as support was needed to follow our plans and keep the event safe for all to enjoy,” Hadfield said, per the press release.
Director of DPS Matt Koehn thanked the neighboring police departments for helping Saturday night.
Berkley Mayor Bridget Dean said officials are doing their “due diligence to evaluate the appropriate way to move forward next year,” but no decision has been made about the 2025 event.