Security out in force at Fresno Spring Fair after fights end Saturday festivities

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Officials with the Fresno Spring Fair say they made sure their security staff Sunday could handle anything that took place jeopardizing the safety of others.

Whether you were eating ice cream, a hot dog or enjoying a carnival ride at the fair, chances are you were feet away from the men and women in blue.

The increased presence comes on the heels of multiple fights that broke out between teenagers Saturday night and caused police to escort about 200 of them out of the fairgrounds and shutting the four-day event down early.

"It was crazy in there," witness Anna Aguilar said.

Aguilar was with her two children when some of the violence erupted, and she says they saw about 10 fights within an hour of being there.

"It was actually a waste of money because they closed everything down by 10 o'clock as you can tell," she said.

Universal Fair released a statement reading in part, "it is unfortunate that a small group can ruin an event for so many."

Stacy Rianda is the deputy manager for the Big Fresno Fair and she says it was shocking to see.

"This was the second year for this event, and last year we had no issues at all," she said. "It was kind of really unexpected and unfortunate."

The fair worked with police to adjust its game plan and hoped to stop that same reality from reoccurring again by staffing extra security personnel - a total of 15 in case there were any problems.

Lt. Steve Card with the Fresno Police Department says their goal was just to make sure folks had a good time and stayed safe.

"If we see a change in the crowd composition of unattended young folks looking for trouble, we're going to take swift action," he said.

And it is something Josh Ramos and his family saw.

"There's a strong police presence, like security, and what can I say - you feel safe," he said.