Police arrest 35 following St. Patrick's Day Parade in Cleveland
Updated: Jan. 12, 2019, 4:27 p.m. | Published: Mar. 18, 2011, 1:20 a.m.
By Pat Galbincea, Special to the Plain Dealer
View full sizePeggy Turbett l The Plain DealerCleveland police make an arrest while clearing Public Square a few hours after the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Police were called to the square after several fights broke out that gathered following the St. Patrick's Day celebrations.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Warm, sunny weather and a larger-than-normal parade crowd combined to create a rowdy atmosphere at times downtown Thursday.
By early evening, hundreds of youths had gathered on Public Square. Police, some on horseback, patrolled as minor skirmishes occurred.
Police made almost 35 arrests by 9 p.m. for a variety of offenses, many caused by excessive alcohol consumption, Cleveland police spokesman Sgt. Sammy Morris said.
One police officer received medical treatment for what was believed to be a broken ankle, Morris said. No major injuries were reported by Cleveland EMS.
A DUI checkpoint at West 3rd Street and Huron Road between 5 and 7 p.m. resulted in three DUI arrests, 14 traffic citations and three vehicles towed from the scene, Morris said.
For the third straight year, the temperature went over 60 degrees. The high was 65, well over the normal 47 degrees but far short of the high of 78 on St. Patrick's Day in 1945.
Final crowd estimates were unavailable Tuesday, with Cleveland Police declining to say more than that it topped 100,000. Parade Executive Director Patrick Murphy said the crowd easily was more than 300,000.