Chicago police charged 40 people after several hundred youths converged on a South Loop neighborhood Sunday night in a “teen takeover” that devolved into looting and street fights.
A total of 32 teens and eight adults were taken into custody after they refused to disperse, according to police. The youngest suspects arrested were 12 and 13 years old.
Most of the participants were charged with misdemeanors such as reckless conduct or trespassing, but police said a 15-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy were both arrested on felony weapons charges.
A group of 300 to 400 young people swarmed the 100 block of West Roosevelt Road around 8 p.m. Sunday, according to Fox News Digital.
“Our posture has been tolerant, and usually when we say that it’s curfew, and we ask them to disperse, they do. Yesterday, they, so to speak, crossed the line,” Fred Waller, interim superintendent of Chicago police, said during a Monday news conference. “[They did] attempt to loot one store, a window was broken, also damaged vehicles, and the biggest thing is the fighting between the teens.”
Witness Alvin Jackson told local ABC affiliate WLS-TV that he saw teens throwing bottles, jumping on people’s cars, trying to start fights, as well as trying to run into stores.
“It should send a message to the parents. We know everyone doesn’t have a predictable home life, but we are trying to deal with the youth in a certain way to try to offer other things for them to do,” Mr. Waller said.
