Brooklyn Park's River Park shut down by police after rowdy crowds, fights

Brooklyn Park police shut down River Park on Friday night as fights broke out among a crowd of several hundred young people, authorities said.

Police were called to the park about 7:45 p.m. on reports of a large and rowdy crowd and began closing it when the fighting began, according to a department news release.

The park was closed at 10 p.m., and Brooklyn Park officers, with help from Hennepin County Sheriff's Office deputies and Minnesota state troopers, ordered everyone to leave.

Some 150 to 200 people then moved to Noble Sports Park, where "they continued the same or similar behavior," police said.

The incident "caused significant traffic problems and a prolonged police presence," authorities said.