8 arrested in Chicago teen takeover that prompted curfew enforcement

8 arrested in Chicago teen takeover that prompted curfew enforcement

Eight teenagers were arrested during a teen takeover in Chicago’s Loop Wednesday night that led to a curfew enforcement order.

CHICAGO - Eight teenagers were arrested during a teen takeover in Chicago’s Loop Wednesday night that led to a curfew enforcement order.

The backstory:

According to Ald. Brian Hopkins, a large group of teens gathered in the Loop after 9 p.m. near State and Lake streets.

Hopkins said the situation was "out of control" before a curfew enforcement order was issued at 10 p.m. He said the crowd was partially dispersed by 10:40 p.m. and that the order had an "immediate impact."

A private security group, the Community Intelligence Unit, reported multiple fights broke out and that one teen was beaten unconscious.

The group also reported that teens climbed on vehicles, bear mace was used at some point, and that several minors were detained.

According to Chicago police, eight juveniles were arrested and charged, including one facing felony counts.

• Seven juveniles (a 13-year-old girl, a 14-year-old girl, a 15-year-old girl, a 15-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl and two 16-year-old boys) were each charged with one (1) misdemeanor count of Reckless Conduct. One of the juveniles, the 15-year-old boy, also had an Issuance of a Warrant.
• One juvenile, a 16-year-old boy, was charged with three (3) felony counts of Aggravated Assault of Peace Officers, one (1) misdemeanor count of Reckless Conduct and one (1) citation for Riding Bicycle on Sidewalk.
• There were 24 curfew violations issued.

What they're saying:

Justin Peters is with ChiTown Crime Chasers and witnessed the chaos unfold.

"We got about two-three hundred kids, running back and forth, jumping on cars, just fighting, taunting the police. And it got pretty bad to the point, me and my team actually witnessed the little boy getting stomped out, unconscious, and I had to render aid to him. We had to call an ambulance for this boy," Peters said.

"It's frustrating. This is something that's been happening quite a lot lately. This is the third month of the year and we've had several teen takeovers, especially in the downtown area... More shootings, kids getting shot. The boy that I mentor got shot at the last teen takeover. So, it's devastating."

What's next:

This all comes as the City Council is still working to pass a revised curfew ordinance aimed at preventing teen takeovers.

The new ordinance would allow Chicago police to give a 30-minute warning to disperse the crowd, instead of the previously proposed 12 hours. And before issuing any citations, officers would be required to ask the person's age and why they are out.

Several aldermen have been pushing for this, especially after past teen gatherings turned violent and some deadly.