Hundreds of teens cause fiery chaos in Downtown Chicago as they torch cars in rampage organized on social media: Vastly outnumbered police manage just 15 arrests
More than a hundred teenagers gathered in Millennium Park on Saturday. The rowdy group torched cars and got into fights before gunfire ended the night. Two teenage boys, 16 and 17, were reported shot but in stable condition
By Vanessa Serna and James Gordon
Daily Mail
April 16, 2023
Video taken by Jessica Tamburo shows young people jumping up and down on a car on Michigan Avenue in Chicago on the night of April 15
A crowd of more than a hundred rowdy teenagers turned violent in Downtown Chicago on Saturday night as dozens torched and smashed cars while blaring music in a 'teen trend' that left two with gunshot wounds.
Shocking footage showed some teenagers jumping on top of a bus while others started a massive brawl after descending on Millennium Park and attempting to breach barricades.
Gunshots rang out with some rounds striking two teenage boys aged 16 and 17.
The two youths were transported to a nearby hospital in fair condition. A total of 15 people, nine adults and six children were arrested.
Police said 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.
Cars were also left vandalized near East Washington Street in the Windy City, including a Tesla which worth about $120,000.
More than a rowdy hundred teenagers gathered in Millennium Park on Saturday
Two teenage boys, 16 and 17, were reported shot during a fight. They were transported to the hospital in stable condition
The rowdy group torched cars and got into fights before gunfire ended the night
Hundreds of teenagers flooded into Downtown Chicago on Saturday night, smashing car windows, trying to get into Millennium Park
The huge gatherings in the street are being dubbed 'teen trends' which extends invites to teenagers across the city, according to NBC Chicago, and Saturday's incident occurred a day after another teenage boy, 14, was shot at another gathering near 31st Avenue Beach.
During the chaos on Saturday night, a bystander was attacked while in the driver seat of his car by rowdy teenagers and had to be taken to the hospital.
It appeared as if police were unable to handle the crowd and were seen escorting innocent bystanders and tourists to safety.
Officers worked to clear large the crowds and video showed dozens of cops lining the street near Washington and State.
'It's heartbreaking, kids fighting, chasing each other, some of them got guns,' an unidentified witness told NBC News. 'It's really heartbreaking when one of them actually gets hurt, and that's unfortunate, happened last night.'
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Mayor-Elect Brandon Johnson both issued statements regarding chaotic scenes.
Mayor Lightfoot said while many of the young people gathered to have a good time and enjoy the weather, some were involved in 'reckless, disrespectful and unlawful behavior.'
'As I have said before, we as a city cannot and will not allow any of our public spaces to become a platform for criminal conduct,' the mayor's statement read, in part.
'Most importantly, parents and guardians must 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.'
Lightfoot noted that Chicago police leadership has assured her they will 'make the necessary adjustments to address these teen trends issues as we move into the summer months.'
Shots were fired near the corner of Madison and Michigan with some news organizations deciding that it was unsafe to keep news crew on the scene
Two teens were wounded by gunfire in the crowds in the first block of East Washington Street
A 16 and 17-year-old boy were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in fair condition with gunshot wounds
The crowd was trying to get into Millennium Park, but there were checkpoints around the perimeter and people under 21 are not allowed without an adult
Chicago police said nine adults and six juveniles were arrested. Most were charged with reckless conduct
The witness added that police stood no chance against the crowed.
'It was a lot of cops here, but they were still outnumbered,' the witness said. 'There were so many teenagers that showed up, and they tried to keep the peace and keep them under control.'
After the shooting, a nearby Tesla was then seen on fire.
The rowdy teenagers disrupted the city's transportation system after several climbed on top of a bus. They could be seen dancing while the bus was at a stop.
It's unclear if anyone was in the bus at the time but the Chicago Transit Authority announced that schedules were disrupted due to police activity.
After the shooting, a nearby Tesla was then seen on fire. Pictured: the torched car
The rowdy teenagers disrupted the city's transportation system after several climbed on top of a bus. They can be seen dancing while the bus was at a stop
It's unclear if anyone was in the bus but the Chicago Transit Authority announced that travels were disrupted due to police activity. Pictured: The rowdy crowd
On Friday night, a 14-year-old boy was shot in the thigh around 9pm.
Beforehand, authorities were informed about the 300-person gathering via Emergency Management and Communications.
Some reports cited that nearly 1,000 teenagers were at the 'teen trend' event - though the true number remains unclear.
A 17-year-old boy was arrested in connection to the shooting.
Chicago police work the scene following a police involved shooting in the 3800 block of W. Flournoy on Saturday
Police in Chicago are seen looking over the scene of a police shooting although it was several miles west of downtown
Most of those arrested were charged with reckless conduct, but a 16-year-old male was charged with unlawful use of a weapon
Chaotic scenes erupted in the downtown area amid large gatherings over the weekend
The gatherings led to a large response from law enforcement in the downtown Chicago area
The Millennium Park is where the famous Bean, Cloud Gate sits
2 comments:
When you vote for assholes you get assholeish behavior. Fuck Chicago. Let it go all the way down the shitter. The commodities exchange can move to someplace else and the rest of the fucking city can burn. Then all the woke morons can see how much fun it is living with ZERO effective government in a place where you can not buy bread, toilet paper or coffee because all the retail has said FUCK THIS SHIT and left and all the people with jobs have left because there are no jobs because nobody wants to live there. The only residents will be civil servants and general assistance recipients. PUt a fence around the whole fucking city and shoot anybody that tries to escape.
Shut down social media texting immediately at the beginning of similar events. No social media platform communication in designated areas on Smart Phones should make it difficult for crowds to gather and carry out mayhem. It can be done.
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