CHICAGO, July 3 (UPI) -- Chicago police vow to keep things under control at the Taste of Chicago festival this weekend after three people were stabbed near the annual food fair.
Police Superintendent Jody Weis reassured the public Friday that security at the downtown entertainment and food festival was on track after an outbreak of violence in the Grant Park area Thursday night that included three stabbings and 22 arrests. The 30-year-old summer extravaganza draws more than three million residents and visitors over its 10-day run.
"Sometime things happen," Weis said. "I'm very comfortable with the police numbers we had in place."
At the same time, however, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times that Weis planned to have extra uniformed and plainclothes police on duty at the event when it wraps up Sunday night.
The city canceled its annual July 3rd fireworks show this year to save money and will have three smaller 15-minute Fourth of July fireworks displays along the 26-mile-long lakefront.
