Three stabbed in scuffle at 4th of July celebration in Chicago

[July 05, 2019]    (Reuters) - Three people were stabbed and seriously injured during a fight at an Independence Day fireworks show in Chicago on Thursday and more than a dozen more were injured as many of the crowd fled the scene, police and media reports said early Friday.

An altercation broke out Thursday evening on the Navy Pier, a 3,300-foot long pier along Chicago's shoreline on Lake Michigan and a premier venue for community events. People had gathered there for a 4th of July fireworks display on the lake.

The Chicago Tribune reported that a stampede to the exit then began after someone in the crowd shouted "gun". Police later said they could not confirm if there was a gun or if shots had been fired.

More than a dozen people were injured as they tried to flee, including one who suffered a puncture wound from an overturned table, said Sgt. Rocco Alioto of the Chicago Police Department. They were taken to hospital and Alioto said their injuries were not life-threatening.

He said police did not know what had precipitated the stabbings and that none of the three victims were cooperating with officials. Alioto gave no detail on the extent of their injuries, but media reports, including by a local CBS affiliate, said at least one person was in critical condition.

No charges have been filed in the incident, police said.

(Reporting by Rich McKay; Editing by Catherine Evans)

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