F.Y.I.
STOCKTON -- A beefed up police force Tuesday at the San Joaquin Fair had ejected 110 visitors and arrested five people involved in or threatening to start fights, according to police.
Stockton Police Department spokesman Officer Sean Fenner said the largest fight throughout the day at the fair involved 10 people. The fight started at 9 p.m. and lasted 15 minutes until officers quelled the incident, he said.
The fair on Tuesday opened at 4 p.m. and closed at midnight. Performing at the main stage were hip-hop artists NB Ridaz, Angelina, Lil'Rob and David Wade.
"We had little pockets of things that were squashed very quickly," Fenner said. "Any time we have events catering to young people, we seem to have more incidents."
Police escorted anyone off the fairgrounds seen flashing gang signs, he said.
Police sent an additional 21 officers to the fair throughout the day, with the total number of officers on patrol at 52, Fenner said.
The spike in activity was a stark contrast to the fair's first week, which had been relatively calm, Fenner said. Live entertainment at the fair Tuesday attracted a young and culturally diverse group of fairgoers, he said.
Police filed five crime reports, which included arrests on battery charges, Fenner said.
"We haven't had anybody shot, killed or stabbed, which is the perception people have of when they come to Stockton," Fenner said of the two-week fair.