A crowd attempted to push through the main gates of the Minnesota State Fair on Monday night and law enforcement officers used a chemical agent to break up the group, said Ramsey County Sheriff's Office spokesman Roy Magnuson.

One man who was part of the disturbance had a gun, Magnuson said. The incident occurred outside the gate at Midway Parkway and Snelling Avenue just after 8 p.m. Patrons attempting to leave were prevented from doing so for a short time. Fair security personnel and deputies from the Sheriff's Office sprayed a chemical irritant to disperse the crowd and repel its advance, Magnuson said. St. Paul police spokesman Steve Linders said his agency sent five squads to the fairgrounds to assist with crowd control and they remained on the scene for about three hours.

Authorities did not say how big the crowd was, whether there were any arrests or injuries, or what led to the disturbance.