Teen mayhem reported at Dunham, Oriole, Olympia parks last weekend; at least 10 arrested

by BRIAN NADIG

About 10 teenagers were arrested over the weekend at three Far Northwest Side parks in connection with illegal fireworks and reckless conduct, according to 16th (Jefferson Park) District police.

Numerous problems were reported at Dunham Park, 4638 N. Melvina Ave., Oriole Park, 5430 N. Olcott Ave., and Olympia Park, 6566 N. Avondale Ave., according to police.

“We are not talking about Roman candles, although there were some of those too,” 16th District Commander Thomas Hanrahan said. “These were big fireworks. … They were throwing mortars. One whizzed right by me. I had to move out of the way.”

That incident took place at Oriole Park on Saturday, July 4, and the culprit was arrested, Hanrahan said.

At the time police were trying to disperse the crowd, and Hanrahan said that he doesn’t believe the teen was specifically aiming for him and other nearby officers.

Seven of the arrests occurred at Oriole Park. “They were not from the immediate area,” Hanrahan said.

Teens shooting off illegal fireworks is not a new problem, but Hanrahan said that he was appalled by the overall “disrespectful behavior” which many of the teens displayed toward the responding officers.

Instead of dispersing once police arrived, some of the teens said that they would simply move over to another area of the park and shoot off their fireworks there.

“My parents work for the city, and you can’t do anything to me to,” Hanrahan recalled being told along with “you can’t arrest me” from others. Those pleas did not work, he said.

A resident who was at Dunham Park on Friday night, July 3, for the annual tradition of watching the fireworks show from the nearby Ridgemoor Country Club said the evening is usually a fun night for local families, with children playing in the park.

However, about 15 police officers were needed to restore order at the park after several mortars were lit and thrown into the ground, destroying a portable bathroom in one instance, according to the resident. There appeared to be two large groups of teens at the park, and a fight broke out among some of the teens, he said.

Some of the teens also seemed to intensify their rowdy behavior as officers started to enter the park, he said. “They threw a mortar in the direction of a police car … landing about 30 feet away.”

Once order was restored, some families remained at the park and watched the fireworks show.

The resident estimated that close to 200 teens were at Dunham, with around of half of them from the neighborhood.

In addition, notices were being posted on social media calling for an apparent teen takeover of Dunham on Sunday night, July 5, with loud music and fireworks, but police were ready and any crowds at the park were dispersed, Hanrahan said.

On Sunday there were three reported arrests, including two for fireworks and one for the reckless riding of a scooter at and near Dunham. Several 911 calls were received about the scooter, according to police.

Hanrahan said that he hopes parents will check on the whereabouts of their children last weekend and ask them what they were doing at the parks if they were there.

The  area resident said that as a teen he would occasionally shoot off fireworks but that he and his friends would do so in an empty parking lot behind a building, with no intent of causing damage. He added that if police were to ever pull up on them, they’d immediately stop and apologize.

On Friday at Dunham, several of the teens appeared to welcome a confrontation with police and did want to back down, he said.

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