Police arrested 88 people in a gang raid heading into the weekend. Officers said they also found several guns. View Full Caption Courtesy Chicago Police Department

CHICAGO — Police arrested 88 people in a gang raid on the West Side heading into the holiday weekend.

Of the people arrested, 55 were felons and 16 were on parole, according to a Chicago Police news release. Eight guns were seized during the raid, which took place across the Harrison and Austin districts, police said.

Officers who were watching suspected gang activity also found three guns — an assault rifle and two handguns — when they tried to stop a group of three men in Austin, police said. Two of the men were caught, and police said they might have stopped a shooting through that work.

“As we head into the Fourth of July weekend, we are sending a clear signal to offenders that CPD will come at you with every tool we have to keep our communities safe,” Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said in a news release. “These operations are just one piece of our overall strategy to prevent violent incidents. We're also making sure that officers are visible throughout the city this holiday weekend to promote peace.”

Seven of the people who were arrested have been placed in a diversion programs offering rehabilitative services to first-time, nonviolent drug offenders, police said.

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