Peoria police vow crackdown on roving street parties

PEORIA, Ill. (AP) - Peoria's police chief said Monday there will be a crackdown on ``roving street parties'ť in the wake of a weekend shooting that left 13 wounded.

Pre-dawn parties like Sunday's that attracted about 200 people have been happening in Peoria for about a year, Chief Loren Marion said at a news conference. Police have responded to the parties when alerted to illegal activities such as fist fights and public drinking. However, he says those dispersed, many of them adults, conspire to come up with a new location, head there in droves and restart the party.

Officers disbursed a crowd outside a gasoline station early Sunday that reassembled at another location 45 minutes later, according to authorities. When that gathering was broken up by police, attendees returned to the location near the gas station. That location was cleared, and the crowd gathered at the riverfront. Police didn't learn of that location until reports of shots fired were received.

Marion said the gunfire occurred after a fight erupted. He said investigators are reviewing video of the scene to determine who was behind the shootings.

Marion did not have any update on the condition of the victims, who range in age from 20 to 39.