HAMMOND - Tangipahoa Parish deputies arrested 19 people and confiscated 12 guns over the weekend at the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival.

Tangipahoa Sheriff Gerald Sticker on Monday said the majority of those arrested were under the age of 25, including two juveniles. Those arrested at minimum face a charge of illegal carrying of a firearm, with several facing additional charges like resisting arrest and drug possession charges.

“The rules for festival attendance have never changed, but this year, those rules, including no weapons, were widely publicized,” Sticker said. “There is no need for anyone to have weapons or illegal drugs at a family event like the Strawberry Festival, but Louisiana laws make it clear neither are allowed in that environment, regardless.”

One person arrested had a warrant out for their arrest. Another person had a criminal history, deputies added. 

Despite this, Sticker called increased security measures at the festival “a success,” and said the higher-than-usual amount of deputies, alongside cameras and lower crowd numbers, helped deputies keep people safe.

Organizers of the Strawberry Festival place the number of event goers between 250,000 and 275,000, which is lower than the Louisiana State Police’s projected attendance number of 300,000.

Before the festival, authorities in Ponchatoula banned four people from the festival on suspicion of threats being made to the festival in the wake of last year's shooting.