LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A group of people caused a panic with "noise-making devices" causing attendees at the Kentucky State Fair to believe gunshots had been fired on Saturday night, according to Kentucky State Police.
Nine people were arrested, six of them minors, after an incident that caused the state fair to close early. KSP said no physical evidence that a weapon was fired has been found.
Police said Monday evening that the nine individuals were arrested throughout the day, but didn't say which ones were related to Saturday's chaos.
KSP said all nine people arrested were from Jefferson County, and charges included disorderly conduct, menacing, possession of stolen property and possession of a handgun.
KSP and Kentucky Fair Board Police provide security inside the fairgrounds, while LMPD works the roadways around the fair. David S. Beck, Kentucky Venues president and CEO, said security is coordinated between all of the law enforcement agencies.
"We don't discuss the details of our strategy for security, but we do have a large number of personnel we contract with the state police and they provide excellent service. We're glad to have them here," Beck said. " They're the experts. In fact, they're the ones leading this investigation."
State fair officials posted an update on its website Sunday afternoon stating in part, "It is unfortunate that a few individuals and poor decisions disrupted that. While we are not able to provide details on the police investigation, we are thankful no one was injured and appreciate the Kentucky State Police and our Fair Team members who quickly responded to this incident."
In a release Saturday evening, KSP said there were no reported injuries.
According to a news release on Kentucky Venues' website, there was "a situation" in front of The Midway around 9:20 p.m. Kentucky State Police were on-scene investigating the incident and securing the area.
Phillip Profumo, who was attending the state fair with his 11-year-old daughter, was about to get on a ride when the incident occurred. He said people were yelling that shots had been fired.
"We seen everybody running and there was an exit that was actually right by the ride, and they were rushing out of that, pushing people down. We seen an old lady get pushed to the ground," Profumo said. "There was swings, the ride swings there, and people jumped off of that while it was still in motion and just jumped to the ground and all the fence barriers that were blocking the rides, They'd knocked them down so they could get out faster."
Officials said the Kentucky State Fair will continue with normal operations on Sunday, based on current information available.
According to the Kentucky State Fair hours of operation, the venue was planned to close at 11 p.m. outside. This year, the fair set nighttime curfews at 6 p.m., with anyone under 18 being required to be accompanied with a parent or guardian 21 years or old.
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