Security guard threatened, cops disperse crowd in Decatur parking lot
Decatur IL Aug 21 2023 Police report that a security guard was threatened with a gun and officers were faced with clearing a large crowd of people early Sunday in a Decatur business parking lot.
Sgt. Steve Hagemeyer with the Decatur Police Department said the trouble was centered in the 3600 block of East U.S. Route 36 and the security guard for a restaurant had reported being threatened at 1:30 a.m.
“He had gone out to a car in the lot with two people sitting in it,” said Hagemeyer.
“He told them they had to leave the property or go inside and they couldn’t just sit in the parking lot. The security guy said that is when a male in the car pointed a chrome handgun at him.”
The suspect then drove away without further incident, but by 1:53 a.m., officers were on scene working to disperse a mob. Hagemeyer said this is a frequent problem area, and the police aim to get people away from there before trouble can break out.
“That is one of our regular crowd spots where we often have a few hundred people who gather, nobody wants to leave, and then they start doing stupid stuff,” Hagemeyer added.
He said the crowd dispersed without incident and, speaking later Sunday, he said officers were continuing to seek the gunman.
