CHICAGO (CBS) — There was a heavy police presence as hundreds of teenagers gathered in Chicago’s Loop, causing mayhem Saturday evening.
Sometime during the night, two teenagers standing in a crowd were shot.
CBS 2’s Shardaa Gray reported that hundreds of rowdy teenagers flooded the downtown area, specifically the area near Primark, located at 35 N. State St.
Fifteen people were arrested, including nine adults and six minors. According to the Chicago Police Department, most of the charges were for reckless conduct, but a 16-year-old boy was also charged with unlawful use of a weapon and a firearm was recovered. An adult and a juvenile were also charged with possession of a stolen vehicle.
“Everyone is welcome and encouraged to enjoy all that Chicago has to offer, including the popular downtown area, but criminal activity will never be tolerated. Those who engage in criminal activity will be arrested and held accountable,” he said CPD in a statement.
Police say two teenagers were standing in a crowd when shots were fired by an unknown person.
A 16-year-old boy was shot in the right arm and taken by firefighters to Northwestern Hospital in good condition. A 17-year-old boy was shot in the leg and taken to Northwest in fair condition by Chicago Fire.
The shooting comes a day later a 14-year-old boy was shot at another meeting at the 31st Street beach on Friday night.
Back in the loop, police were seen blocking off Washington on state streets as multiple reports of shots fired, fights and bottles being thrown at CTA buses. The crowd was hundreds of people.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued the following statement Sunday afternoon, following the incident:
In the last few days, on two occasions, several groups of young people have gathered around the city. Many of them were there to have a good time and enjoy the unseasonably warm weather. However, some of these young people were involved in reckless, disrespectful and illegal behaviour. As I said before, we as a city cannot and will not allow any of our public spaces to become a platform for criminal behavior. Most importantly, parents and guardians need to know where their children are and be responsible for their actions. Instilling the important values of respect for people and property must begin at home.
I appreciate the individuals and businesses who have contacted me to express their concerns. I have shared these concerns with the acting superintendent and senior management of the police department in very frank and productive conversations.
CPD leadership has assured me that they will make the necessary adjustments to address these teen trend issues as we move into the summer months.
We’ve invested millions of dollars to support community organizations to partner with youth to co-activate fun and safe spaces across the city throughout the year. We ask parents to partner with us by making sure your children’s plans are safe and that they know when to get out of a situation before it becomes unsafe.
We’ve seen posts on social media promoting teenagers fighting in the loop, but police say they have no idea how this started.
Trains on the Pink, Orange, Brown and Green lines were disrupted as police responded to the chaos, but service was restored around midnight.
[Station(s) Bypassed] Orange Line trains are running, but not stopping at Washington/Wabash and Adams/Wabash stations due to police activity. Allow extra time
— cta (@cta) April 16, 2023
