Police: Youths refused to leave Family Fun Zone in Crest Hill

Officers from Crest Hill, Joliet and Will County were called to Family Fun Zone to disperse an overwhelming crowd of juveniles, including many who refused to leave, police said.

About 5 p.m. Monday, Crest Hill police were called to the skating rink at 2333 Theodore St. after being notified that were was a large group of juveniles and the location was over capacity, said Crest Hill Police Chief Ed Clark.

Family Fun Zone owner Josh Ickes said they were not over capacity but were worried about getting to that point. Ickes said the crowd was outside of Family Fun Zone and that is where the bad activity was taking place.

Ickes said there were many minors who were being dropped off without being accompanied by parents or guardians, and as a result, they were not allowed inside the establishment.

“We closed early and told everyone to leave,” Ickes said.

This apparently did not sit well with the minors, who tried to push their way into Family Fun Zone, insulted staff members and behaved disrespectfully toward responding officers, Ickes said.

Clark said Joliet and Will County police were contacted to provide assistance due to the large size of the crowd.

“The children were refusing to go and being unruly,” Clark said.