Anoka County deputies use tear gas to clear crowd from park
The Anoka County Sheriff's Office said it used tear gas to disperse a crowd Friday afternoon at a park beach in Oak Grove.
Authorities said there were reports just before 4 p.m. of an "unruly" crowd at the beach at Lake George Regional Park.
"When deputies arrived, they observed approximately 200 people in the beach area and fights were occurring in multiple areas of the park," the sheriff's office reported. "Assistance was requested from other area law enforcement to assist in dispersing the group and closing the park."
The sheriff's office said some people refused to follow repeated orders to leave the park, and that "reports were also received of a man with a gun and that people had begun to climb to the roof of a bathroom building in the park."
Authorities fired a smoke canister and then used tear gas to get people to leave the park.
Officials said one person received medical treatment at the scene and no one was arrested. The park will be closed through the weekend.
The sheriff's office said the park had been closed earlier in the week "due to similar issues."
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