Moment when gunfire sends the crowd scrambling as Chicago’s popular beach closes hours after opening

Just hours after opening for Memorial Day Weekend, a Chicago beach was closed after shots were fired during a major brawl.

The shooting comes after officials announced they are deploying “peacekeepers” to the city to stave off holiday chaos after nine people were killed and 52 others shot last year.

Crowds of people on North Avenue Beach took cover Friday when gunfire went off after a fight broke out between a group of 80 to 100 teenagers.

One person pulled out a gun and fired it during the scuffle that took place at 1:30 p.m. and saw hundreds of beachgoers run and scream.

No one was hit by the bullets and no injuries were reported.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested and charged with one count of aggravated assault with a firearm and one count of criminal damage to property worth $500 to $10,000.

Crowds of people on North Avenue Beach took cover Friday as gunfire went off after a fight broke out between a group of 80 to 100 teenagers

One person pulled out a gun and fired it during the scuffle that took place at 1:30 p.m. and saw hundreds of beachgoers run and scream

But the weapon has not been recovered and is said to have been thrown away somewhere.

The incident was caught on camera and it shows a group of teenagers standing against each other as they point and shout.

Someone then pulls out a gun and fires a shot that makes everyone try to get away.

People on the beach are heard screaming as they run from the gunfire and a car is seen speeding away.

The group of teens had dispersed by the time police arrived, but a 15-year-old boy was arrested over the incident.

A Chicago Park District truck was hit by a bullet and the windows were broken.

John Muldoon was walking near the beach at that time and he told ABCChicago“We were passing by, and then we saw the truck here coming through the windows with clearly what looks like shots, and we think this is creepy.”

And Dan Short, who was on the beach, said, “There was just a lot of police. I saw at least three people handcuffed and I didn’t see exactly what happened or what caused it, but it seemed there was some kind of dispute, of course.’

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said after the shooting, “I am aware of the events that took place this afternoon on North Avenue Beach.

“I’m in touch with our first responders and will continue to monitor the situation closely as the details unfold.”

A 15-year-old boy was arrested and charged with one count of aggravated assault involving the firing of a firearm and one count of criminal damage to property worth $500 to $10,000

No one was hit by the bullets and the weapon has not yet been recovered

The shooting came hours after Chicago opened its 22 beaches along Lake Michigan to the public ahead of Memorial Day weekend.

The Windy City experienced its most violent holiday weekend in five years in 2022 as nine people were killed and 52 others were shot.

In an effort to prevent chaos on Memorial Day, officials are deploying “peacekeepers” throughout Chicago.

Governor JB Pritzker announced on Thursday the creation of the Citywide Crisis Prevention & Response unit that will work with community organizations to deploy more than 30 trained “peacekeepers” to the neighborhood.

It was described as a highly mobile team specifically designed to prevent violence and handle conflict and crises in the city of Chicago by providing essential de-escalation, conflict resolution and crisis support assistance.

DailyMail.com has contacted the Chicago Police Department for comment.