A brawl broke out in the concourse of the United Center after the McDonald’s All-American game on Wednesday. About a dozen people can be seeing fighting in a video provided to the Sun-Times.
The game organizers released the following statement:
“Naturally, we are disappointed by this kind of activity, which runs counter to the spirit of the McDonald’s All-American Games. But we are equally grateful to the United Center Security team and the Chicago Police for restoring order. We refer all further questions to the Chicago Police.”
The prestigious all-star game traveled around the country to different locations for 33 years, but found a home in Chicago and has been held at the United Center since 2011.
The United Center has seen violence after high school games before. In 2005 a large fight broke out after an Illinois High School Association Supersectional playoff game between Thornton and Homewood-Flossmoor. Three people, including a policeman, were hospitalized after the fight. The United Center hasn’t hosted a state playoff game since that incident.
More than 10,000 fans attended the game on Wednesday, despite no local players being involved. The game featured the 24 best high school basketball players in the country and was televised live on ESPN.
Chicago Police said they were not notified of and did not respond to any fight reports at the United Center.
