Video from Frisco Fair shows chaos that led to event's cancellation

FRISCO, Texas - A night of chaos in Frisco forces the shutdown of a fair designed to be fun for family and friends.

Videos show some of the chaos at the Frisco Fair Saturday night, which prompted the city to revoke the fair's special use permit. 

Meanwhile, the family-owned company that was operating the Frisco Fair put partial blame on the city for the numerous safety issues at the fair this weekend.

The company running the fair said the city initially approved its security plan. It says it also offered up additional steps to better address security issues, and it says the city refused.

The city of Frisco said in an online statement that the permit was revoked due to concerns about public safety. 

While the fair's permit was revoked, there are no signs at the fairgrounds of anyone packing up to leave. 

Andrew Cooper dropped his twin 13-year-old boys off at the fair on Saturday.

"About 30 minutes after, I got a call from him," he recalled. "He was super frantic, saying that there was a fight going on."

The city says 911 dispatchers received multiple calls regarding arguments, disruptive behavior, fights and gunshots.

A viewer sent an image showing a person being detained by police.

But in the Frisco Police Department's follow-up on Facebook, it said, "Social media posts are inaccurately reporting an incident at the Frisco Fair. FPD officers responded to multiple disturbances at the location, including a report of shots fired. However, no arrests were made as a result of these calls, nor any known gunshot victims."

Jordan and Keith Henderson live in the apartment complex adjacent to the fair with their 5-year-old daughter, Harlow. They are disappointed that the fair is now shut down after the city revoked its special use permit. 

"We’ve lived here three years. We’ve been attending the fair every year," Jordan said. "I would like more answers."

"We get excited about it for months," Keith said. "We watch them set up." 

The Hendersons say they saw the disruption Saturday night.

"75-100 unsupervised teenagers with maybe four police officers. It was a recipe for disaster," Keith recalled. 

"Over here was a very large group. I see a handful started running. Heard several people say he has a gun," Jordan recalled. "They were outnumbered. They were in their cars. They were on their phones, yelling at everyone to go home. Kids were taunting them."

Dominic Gutierrez, a father of three, also lives nearby.

Gutierrez and the Hendersons say the tension seemed to surround the new gate and the requirement to pay admission this year.

In previous years, teens could hang out with friends inside the fair for free. 

"If they have to pay admission every time they go in and out, they will find trouble," Gutierrez said.

The city says it revoked the fair's permit due to "multiple calls regarding disruptive behavior, arguments, fights and gunshots. The response to resolve the complaints took approximately two hours, requiring 26 police. Emergency egress gates were non-existent and/or padlocked."

The city says that emergency gates either did not exist or were padlocked shut. However, Talley Amusement Inc. — the organizer — says they were only locked after the event was closed.

In a statement to FOX 4, Talley’s attorney said, "The security plan Frisco approved included employing nine off-duty police officers."

Talley’s attorneys say they are considering next steps to either reopen the event with additional safeguards or to recoup hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenue and expenses caused by the city’s actions.

The city says the fair's remaining schedule has been canceled. 

Late Tuesday afternoon, Frisco Police Chief David Shilson said in a statement, "What we saw Saturday night at the Frisco Fair posed a threat to Fairgoers, surrounding residences, and businesses. Officers heard gunshots and confirmed shots were fired through witness statements. Fortunately, there were no gunshot victims. While there were no arrests made Saturday night, we continue to investigate, and criminal charges may come in the future."