At least 10 people were arrested in and around this year’s muddy Lollapalooza music festival in Grant Park, with some facing charges for selling rain ponchos without a permit, illegally flying a drone and punching a backstage security guard with a pocketful of drugs.
This year’s arrests were split evenly across Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with no arrests Sunday. Last year, 12 people were arrested throughout the festival’s four days.
On Thursday night, a 30-year-old Chicago man was arrested for flying an unauthorized drone over Lollapalooza, according to an arrest report.
When officers found the man operating the drone from the Museum Campus, he gave a false name, refused to cooperate and demanded medical attention, according to Cook County court records. He faces a misdemeanor charge for operating an unauthorized aircraft.
A 21-year-old Michigan man was arrested Friday after allegedly slapping a woman and then attempting to strike another man, according to his arrest report. He was charged with misdemeanor counts of assault and battery.
On Saturday, officers arrested a 26-year-old Wheeling man selling $5 rain ponchos outside the festival without a peddler’s license, a police report shows.
When officers ran his name, they discovered he had a warrant for failing to appear on a drug charge in DuPage County, according to court records. He was issued a citation for illegal peddling.
The most serious arrest came that same day, when a 23-year-old Wisconsin man was taken into custody after trying to break into a backstage area and punching the security guard who stopped him, according to an arrest report. When Chicago police searched the man, they found a bag of suspected cocaine in his wallet.
He was charged with a felony count of possession and misdemeanors for battery and trespassing. He’s the only person facing a felony charge from the weekend.
The six others arrested during the festival were hit with misdemeanor charges, including trespassing, battery and reckless conduct. Those charged ranged in age from 18 to 39.
As arrests fell, hospitalizations rose this year, with 67 festivalgoers taken for treatment.