Chicago police arrest 27 after gunfire halts Cinco de Mayo parade in Little Village
CHICAGO - Chicago police arrested dozens of people and recovered three handguns after shots were fired along the Cinco de Mayo parade route in Little Village on Sunday, cutting short the annual celebration of Mexican culture and history.
Police said 27 people in total were arrested during Sunday's event, including three individuals who were charged with multiple offenses.
Juan Carrillo, 20, was charged with a felony count of aggravated battery to a police officer and reckless conduct, according to a statement from Chicago police. Brandon Mora, 20, faces two misdemeanor counts of reckless conduct and resisting a police officer. Officials said a third man, 30-year-old Jorge Vargas, was charged with misdemeanor reckless conduct and assault.
Police said 23 others were charged with various misdemeanors including reckless conduct and disorderly conduct while another individual was issued a municipal ordinance violation for disorderly conduct.
The Chicago Fire Department responded to the scene near Cermak Road and Washtenaw Avenue, but they found no one with injuries to take to the hospital.
Chicago police worked with parade organizers to reroute the celebration, which was scheduled to start at noon, heading west along Cermak from Damen Avenue to Marshall Boulevard. Instead, the parade started closer to 12:30 p.m. south on Damen to Blue Island Avenue.
At 1:30 p.m., the Chicago Police Department announced in a statement that the parade had been canceled "out of an abundance of caution."
Police, elected officials and parade organizers decided to cancel the rest of the parade following "gang violence in the area," the CPD statement said. Multiple people have been arrested, according to police.
Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th), who was at the parade, said the parade was not canceled but was instead relocated.
"In response to the alleged cancellation of the Cinco de Mayo parade in the 25th Ward, we want to clarify that the event was not canceled, but relocated, and was carried out as planned with the active participation of the community.
The parade took place smoothly, starting on Damen Street and continuing along Blue Island until its completion at the intersection of Blue Island and Washtenaw. We thank all the residents who came together to celebrate this important cultural and community occasion."
Although brief, the parade still featured a steady stream of horses dancing, mariachi bands performing from the beds of trucks, countless Mexican flags waving, girls in colorful dresses dancing and vintage Ford trucks and motorcycles rumbling down the street.
However, all the excitement abruptly came to an end about an hour after the parade began.
Video showed rival gangs along the parade route, flashing signs from the crowds. Chicago police said 25 gang members were arrested and some of them had guns in their possession.
FOX 32 Chicago spoke with Hector Escobar, the president of Casa Puebla, last week about the event. He said he was looking forward to having the community enjoy something beautiful together.
The shooting "can’t take away from our celebration today," said Hector Escobar, who has helped organize the annual parade for 40 years. "We are still going to honor and celebrate our Mexican heritage today."
The holiday commemorates Mexico’s victory over Napoleon’s French army in the Battle of Puebla in 1862.
"We’re celebrating the most important battle," said Escobar, who is also the president of the Cermak Road Chamber of Commerce. "Napoleon tried to take our country, but he never stood a chance. He was going for all of North America, so if it wasn’t for us, we’d all be speaking French right now."