West Side Neighborhood Disrupted By Roman Candle Fight
(CBS) – The projectiles were flying were flying in a West Side neighborhood. It wasn't gunfire, but it wasn't exactly safe, either.
CBS Roseanne Tellez checked out a recent video that shows young people dueling in Garfield Park with roman candles, the tubelike fireworks that emit fireballs.
The "fight" among young men stopped traffic on busy Western Avenue and left debris strewn from Adams to Madison streets.
"I heard it through my window, i came outside, I saw them chasing each other with Roman candles, like battling each other in the middle of the street with Roman candles holding up traffic, it was crazy," said Bridget Williams, who lives nearby. "Better that than guns and violence, I guess, but that's still not safe."
The Chicago Fire Department stresses that fire balls could ignite clothing, burn skin or even cause blindness if they hit eyes.
Chicago police were called and responded Tuesday night, but by then the crowd had dispersed. No one was arrested, and there were no reported injuries.
"It don't bother me," said Chaquita Lane, another neighbor. "Sometimes they do it when I try to put my kids to sleep. I guess that's how they play over here."