Police said the trouble started at Mellon Park, where Mount Ararat Baptist Church had just wrapped up its community picnic.
The Rev. Linda Oliver said that out of an estimated attendance of over 3,000 people, only a fraction of those people are responsible for starting the trouble.
"We had a few fights that broke out with the young people,” said Oliver.
When reporter Dave Bondy arrived at the scene, police were everywhere. At least a dozen officers were ordering hundreds of teenagers to leave Penn Avenue.
A group of juveniles ran into Target and, according to an employee, they caused a mess in the toy aisle.
"They came in Target, they were throwing chairs, everybody went running," said witness Shauny Bowe.
“Everybody was just running everywhere,” said Bowe. “They went to McDonald’s, and they told people to get out, cussing and swearing. They were about to taze people. I was scared for my life.”
As members of the church cleaned up the park, they said they are saddened that a day of fun and worship is now associated with disruption and vandalism.
"They are not only messing up for themselves, but for the community. This was an opportunity for us to come together and when things like this break out. They ruin the chances of things like this continuing," said Oliver.
Police said they made only a few arrests and no one needed to be seen by medics.
Oliver said she wants to sit down and talk with those who are responsible for the trouble.
Police said it's fortunate that no one was hurt during the chaos.
SEE VIDEO HERE: GHETTO CHAOS
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