FRISCO, Texas — The City of Frisco has revoked the permit for the Frisco Fair, effectively canceling the remainder of the two-week event.
The city on Monday cited public safety concerns for the decision to take away the fair's special events permit.
According to the city, the police department received multiple calls to the fair over the weekend in regards to "disruptive behavior, arguments, fights and gunshots."
The police response, according to the city, required 26 officers for calls on Saturday, April 29, alone. On Tuesday, Frisco Police Department Chief David Shilson provided a statement, saying in part that what happened on Saturday "posed a threat to Fairgoers, surrounding residences, and businesses."
Shilson also said while no arrests have been made as of Tuesday night, some criminal charges may come in the future.
The city did not detail what led to the calls, but said the decision to revoke the permit was based on an assessment of what had occurred.
Frisco police on Sunday dispelled rumors swirling on social media about gunshots being fired at the fair. The department would only say that it responded to multiple disturbances in that area -- including a shots fired call -- but said that no gunshot victims were found.
The fair had been slated to run through Sunday, May 14.
Refunds for any pre-sold tickets should be addressed with the fair itself, the city said.
"Frisco believes its permit revocation is in the community's best interest," the city's statement read.
The fair's operator, Tally Amusements, said in a statement to WFAA that it will be asking the city to reopen with new security measures.
"Five generations of the Talley family have provided safe, enjoyable family entertainment in North Texas and throughout the United States. The security plan Frisco approved for Talley included employing nine off-duty police officers. Talley offered specific steps, similar to those implemented at a local mall with the same ongoing issues, but the city refused to consider these suggestions. Talley's attorneys are considering next steps to either reopen the event with these additional safeguards or to recoup hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenue and expenses caused by the city's actions."
Shilson's full statement is below:
“The safety of our residents and visitors to Frisco is our top priority. For this reason, we will not wait until someone is seriously injured or killed before we take steps to keep our community safe. 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. There were also multiple reports of fights and other disruptive behavior, which were captured in videos circulating on social media. We worked with the event organizers to put increased security measures in place based on previous issues with the Frisco Fair. Unfortunately, those increased measures were unable to prevent the events of Saturday night from occurring. While there may be disappointment by people who wished to attend the event, the safety of everyone is paramount and that was the basis for the decision to revoke the special events permit in accordance with Frisco’s Special Event Ordinance.”