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Chapel Hill Says Annual Halloween Celebration Largest Ever

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Halloween on Franklin Street drew the largest crowd ever. The crowd peaked after midnight at approximately 69,000 people, according to Chapel Hill police.

Sections of Franklin and Columbia Streets were closed to traffic at 8:00 p.m. Thursday, and opened around 3:20 a.m., following cleaning by town crews.

Officials said 5,300 people rode the shuttle buses from four park-and-ride lots, easing downtown traffic.

North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement Officers issued 40 citations for alcohol violation through out the town. The charges included 27 counts of Underage Possession of Alcohol and 5 counts of Fraudulent Identification.

Thirty-three people were treated by Orange County EMS.

Eighteen people were arrested in the closed area. The charges included:

  • Affray: 5 counts
  • Simple Assault: 2 counts
  • Assault Inflicting Serious Injury: 1
  • Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer: 1
  • Carrying a Concealed Weapon: 1
  • Disorderly Conduct/Intoxicated and Disruptive: 5
  • The following incidents were reported to police:

    At 3:08 a.m. in a parking lot on West Franklin Street, a person was hit in the head with a bottle resulting in severe lacerations.

    At 2:00 a.m., a woman was grabbed on West Franklin Street. A man took hold of her from behind, attempted to push her off the sidewalk and grabbed her crotch. She was able to break away from him and run away.

    At 12:30 a.m. on East Franklin Street, a man approached an officer saying he had been in a fight and then realized he had been stabbed. He received puncture wound in the chest, requiring hospitalization. Minutes later a woman approached the officer, saying she had been stabbed in the arm and chest. Neither victim saw the weapon.

    Two police officers were assaulted in separated incidents. An Orange County Deputy and a Durham Police Officer were each hit while breaking up fights.

    A DWI arrest was made around 4:00 a.m. at Columbia and Franklin Streets. The driver went through a closed area and almost hit town employees who were cleaning the street.

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