Midlothian police respond to fights at two bars, one the site of fatal shooting last month

Midlothian police said they responded to fights early Sunday at two bars, including one that was the site of a fatal shooting a month ago.

Police said that several arrests were made, but did not respond to requests seeking more information.

Officers responded at 2 a.m. for a report of a “large fight” at Durbin’s, 14753 S. Cicero Ave., and minutes after were dispatched to a fight at nearby Slapshots, 14608 S. Cicero, where a gunshot was reported, according to police.

Police from surrounding communities assisted in both calls in dispersing crowds, and there were apparently no injuries, Midlothian police reported.

At Slapshots, a shot had been fired in the air by someone who left in a vehicle, police said.

In a shooting early Feb. 20 at Slapshots, a 24-year-old South Holland man, Tyree Rials, was shot in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene, with a Markham man charged with murder in the shooting.

Joseph Washington, 25, is charged with first-degree murder and is being held on $2 million bail in that shooting, according to Cook County sheriff records.

In that incident, a Midlothian police officer on patrol nearby heard gunshots and screaming and police found a large crowd in Slapshots’ parking lot and cars attempting to leave, police said at the time.

Midlothian police Chief Dan Delaney said in a social media the department has boosted the number of officers “specifically assigned to the bars, made arrests, issued citations, and created relationships with the bar owners.”

The chief noted that village officials, while not citing Durbin’s or Slapshots, has suspended or revoked business licenses and that the village “will continue to take measures and work with the bar owners until these issues are resolved.”