On Friday night in DeKalb, instead of going to bars, partying with friends or watching the White Sox game, I sat in a squad car with DeKalb police Sgt. James McDougal patrolling the streets and watching the police try to keep the peace.

My high expectations of police activity did not go unfulfilled.

We heard the first report of a fight over the radio at 10:40 p.m. at University Heights Apartments, 1110 Varsity Blvd.

Several squad cars responded and found the victim outside, without his shoes, one sock or glasses.

While police helped the intoxicated victim find his possessions, I could see large numbers of traffic on Annie Glidden Road and people walking toward Hillcrest Drive.

The victim of the fight claimed he got hit in the head with a stick but would not cooperate any further so police saddled up and rode on.

Between 11 p.m. and midnight, we patrolled the Greek Row and Eco Park area ready to assist any units or respond to any calls.

Finally at midnight, dispatch advised over the radio that City Manager Mark Biernacki, City Attorney Norma Guess, and Police Chief Bill Feithen were en route to La Quinta De Los Reyes, 145 N. Third St., to shut it down.

McDougal flipped on the lights and we arrived shortly thereafter.

Guess said La Quinta De Los Reyes was not acting within the restaurant/bar guidelines of its Class D liquor license.

“They appear to be operating as a bar,” Guess said. “The front door was locked and the kitchen was clean.”

Police kicked people out and the city shut down La Quinta De Los Reyes for the second consecutive night.

After leaving, McDougal spent a few minutes giving a warning to a driver that drove the wrong way down one-way Second Street.

Then we tried to follow a car driving without its headlights on but got a call about an accident and assault on the 500 block of Annie Glidden Road.

We tried to get to the scene as quickly as possible from Stadium Drive, but the traffic proved extremely cumbersome around Lucinda Avenue.

When we did finally get on the scene, two damaged cars blocked the southbound lanes on Annie Glidden Road.

Witnesses Josh Leffler, a junior marketing major, and Jaime Borda, a senior communication major, happened to be walking by and saw the accident, which was followed by an assault.

Nobody received serious injuries from the accident.

A man in the victim’s car got out and another man walking by punched him in the face, and Leffler said.

The driver got out to confront the passerby when she was hit over the head, Leffler said.

Police found a suspect matching the description from the assault victims.

The victims were unable to identify the suspect and police released him.

After a tow truck cleared the cars from Annie Glidden Road, McDougal headed over to Fatty’s, 1312 W. Lincoln Highway, to investigate complaints of loud music.

A Fatty’s manager said the band was scheduled to play until midnight. McDougal held his flashlight up to his watch, which showed 1:30 a.m.

Fatty’s did what it could to reduce the volume level but eventually police shut the band down.

As we left Fatty’s, a report came in about people with baseball bats in the parking lot of Village Commons, 901 Lucinda Ave.

The majority of the crowd had dispersed before we arrived.

A lot of people were still by their cars, but we did not see any sign of baseball bats or a fight.

As we got back into the car, the radio reported a carjacking on Stadium Drive and we were off.

After a short search for the suspect vehicle, police found it parked in Lincolnshire West Apartments, 1307 W. Lincoln Highway.

Further investigation showed the car had not been stolen but the back window was smashed in after an argument between the driver and a person on the street.

As we left yet another scene, the radio went crazy.

Simultaneous reports came in of a hit-and-run in front of The Barn, 1215 Blackhawk Road, and looters and a fight at the BP station, 920 W. Lincoln Highway.

First we sped over to assist the DeKalb Fire Department in handling traffic on Blackhawk Road.

The victim of the accident was still lying in the middle of the road surrounded by paramedics when we arrived.

Jeff Fester, a firefighter from Hampshire, witnessed the accident.

“The car was going 10 miles per hour,” Fester said. “[The victim] was responding to her friends when they talked to her.”

The fire department had the hit-and-run under control so we went to BP to check out the action.

When we arrived, police had already cleared the crowded parking lot and were assessing the damage inside the store.

Police saw several people fleeing the scene in a black Chevy Blazer.

The Blazer struck another car while exiting the parking lot and did not stop.

Police followed the suspect’s car to the 300 block of Gurler Street, where the driver abandoned the car still in gear and fled on foot.

The Blazer struck a police car before stopping on the lawn of a residence.

Police caught the suspect behind the residence and took him back to the BP for questioning and identification.

Back at the BP was a giant mess.

During the fight, several display racks were knocked over and food and beverage products were scattered on the floor.

Three people received injuries from the disorderly people but only one required medical attention due to facial cuts.

The time neared 3 a.m. and things started to die down a little.

The radio reported several men rocking cars on Spiros Court and another accident occurred on the 400 block of North Annie Glidden Road.

McDougal responded to a call about a loud party on the 1400 block of Oakwood Avenue with people screaming outside in the street. Feithen handled the situation.

We left Oakwood Avenue and returned to Greenbrier Road to patrol and keep traffic flowing until a call came in at 4:15 a.m. of an aggravated assault on 200 S. Annie Glidden Road.

The suspect tried to flee from police but did not make it far. Police arrested Damien B. Shaw, 23, of 619 N. 12th St. for obstructing a police officer.

Our last call of the evening arrived shortly after, when McDonald’s, 805 W. Lincoln Highway, reported a driver fell asleep in the drive-thru lane at 4:30 a.m.

When we arrived, the driver, Fred W. Anderson, 20, of Chicago, was sleeping soundly while fully reclined in the drivers seat.

The passenger, Raykeeb D. Jackson, 19, Gary, Ind., also slept with his head propped against the passenger side window.

Police arrested Anderson for DUI and consumption of alcohol by a minor.

Police arrested Jackson for possession of cannabis.