Police shut down Independence carnival amid fighting spree, arresting nine
Police shut down a carnival in Independence Saturday night after multiple large fights broke out on the grounds, leading to nine arrests.
The carnival, hosted by traveling entertainment company Fun Time Shows, opened in the parking lot of the Independence Center Mall on Tuesday, according to social media posts from Fun Time Shows. Sunday would have been the carnival’s last day in town, with day passes selling for $30 and most individual rides costing $5-$6.25 per turn.
Officers with the Independence Police Department responded to the Independence Center Mall Saturday evening following reports of a “large disturbance” at the carnival, Officer Bryan Conley, an IPD spokesperson, said Sunday.
“Approximately 300 + juveniles/teenagers who were attending a carnival in the mall parking lot were causing a disturbance,” Conley wrote. Additional large fights broke out as officers arrived, according to Conley, prompting the Independence Center security team to close the mall as well.
As officers began shutting down carnival operations, most patrons dispersed throughout the parking lot, where multiple additional fights broke out, Conley said. Most of the brawls took place between large groups of teenagers, according to Conley.
As fighting continued throughout the mall parking lot and former carnival grounds, officers from seven other police departments responded to assist IPD, including the Kansas City, Sugar Creek, Lee’s Summit, Blue Springs and Raytown police departments. Officers from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and Missouri Highway patrol also got involved in the response, Conley said.
Between all eight police jurisdictions, eight juveniles and one adult were arrested, including eight Kansas City residents and one Raytown resident, Conley said.
No injuries were reported during the carnival shutdown and fighting spree, Conley said. Conley also said Sunday that officers had heard some reports of shots fired during the incident, but that IPD had determined those reports to be false.
A family-owned carnival company operated out of Southeastern Missouri by third-generation owner, Clint Payne, Fun Time Shows hosts traveling carnivals, fairs and festivals in Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Indiana.
This story was originally published June 22, 2025 at 3:41 PM.
