Gunfire cut short Scoop Waukegan on Saturday evening, injuring one person and shutting down the downtown car-culture event, according to Waukegan 4th Ward Alderman Victor Felix. Organizers ended the festival early while the wounded person received medical attention and urged people to steer clear of the packed downtown footprint.
In a social-media post, Ald. Felix said the victim was in the care of medical personnel, and event organizers told would-be visitors to “hold off on making the trip” while vehicles were kept out of the festival zone, according to ABC7 Chicago. ABC7 reported that no additional details about the shooting were immediately available late Saturday.
Where the festival runs
Scoop Waukegan is a weekend car-culture festival that takes over Genesee Street in downtown Waukegan. Regional listings show the 2026 edition was scheduled for July 11–12, with the second day planned from noon to 9 p.m. The event usually features static car displays during the day and evening “scoops,” or rolling parades of vehicles, according to Enjoy Illinois. Local businesses and city services typically coordinate around the weekend to manage big crowds and street closures.
Traffic chaos earlier in the night
Earlier in the evening, the festival saw a separate burst of chaos when a vehicle plowed through barricades and nearly hit bystanders and officers before police boxed it in and stopped it, Lake & McHenry County Scanner reported. The outlet identified the driver as 38-year-old Brittney M. Mack and said prosecutors charged her with multiple offenses, including aggravated DUI, aggravated assault of a peace officer and fleeing to elude police. The report also cited a .206 breathalyzer reading. Organizers and police did not immediately link that arrest to the later shooting.
Organizers' statement
Scoop organizers later posted that “While today's event ended a little earlier than planned, we're incredibly grateful for the amazing turnout and support all weekend long,” and again asked people not to bring vehicles into the festival zone as staff wrapped up the weekend, ABC7 Chicago reported. The message thanked volunteers and sponsors and said organizers were already looking ahead to returning next year.
Background and safety concerns
Downtown Waukegan’s Scoop events routinely draw big crowds and have at times brought heavy police presence with them. Last year, officers arrested a man carrying a loaded machine gun and another firearm near Genesee and Washington, according to Lake & McHenry County Scanner. That arrest, along with Saturday’s disturbances, highlights the security challenges that come with staging car shows on narrow downtown streets.
Organizers urged anyone still thinking about heading downtown to check the festival’s official channels for the latest updates on access and closures. The Scoop Waukegan site links to its social pages, where notices and changes are posted.
