15-year-old Boy Shot During Teen Takeover in Streeterville
A 15-year-old boy was wounded in a shooting and more than a dozen people were arrested as hundreds of teens descended on the Streeterville neighborhood Friday night.
Incident Details
According to the Chicago Police Department, officers were on patrol in the area when shots were fired around 9:41 p.m. in the 400 block of North City Front Plaza Drive. Officers saw a large group taking off from the scene and found the teen with a graze wound to his leg.
Aftermath
The teen was transported to an area hospital by the Chicago Fire Department, where he was reportedly in good condition. At least one shell casing was recovered from the scene.
Chaos in the Streets
Chaos unfolded as hundreds of teens were running in the street near North Columbus Drive and East Illinois Street. Videos taken on the ground and from residents in nearby apartment buildings show people blocking traffic, fighting in the roadway, and throwing objects, including glass bottles.
Use of Stun Gun
At one point, at least one person was observed using a stun gun in the middle of a fight on Columbus Dr.
Response from Authorities
"These are inherently dangerous events. These are not silly kids making silly decisions. These are potentially life-threatening situations," Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) said.
Arrests and Injuries
Hopkins, who serves as the chairman for the Committee on Public Safety, said 14 arrests were made during the incident, and an additional six juveniles were taken into custody for curfew violations. At least three of the arrests were for battery of a peace officer.
Officer Injured
"These were teenagers punching and striking police officers. The officer who injured his hand did so while trying to break up a fight between teenagers, and he was struck and fell to the ground. We think he cut his hand on glass or an object that was on the ground," Hopkins said.
Assistance from Tactical Teams
While the majority of the officers assigned to the area were from the 18th District, calls went out for assistance from citywide tactical teams.
Resident Reactions
"They [officers] were out in full force. They were doing their job, they were doing a really good job, but I mean these kids were just entirely defiant, and that’s what they are, these were kids," resident Lukasz Dusza said.
Recovered Items
Police sources told WGN-TV at least 10 of the 14 people arrested were under 18 years old and that three replica firearms were recovered during the nearly four-hour event. Sources also said a majority of the arrests were for reckless conduct.
Concerns for Safety
"My first thought when you see this happening, is you just pray that there won’t be a loss of life. You pray that there won’t be severe injuries, because you know the potential for that to happen is omnipresent," Hopkins said. "Every second of these events is a risk that someone could die, someone could die from gunshots, someone could die from being stabbed."
Additional Incidents
A person was also stabbed during the large gathering, Hopkins said.
Stabbing Incident
According to CPD, an 18-year-old man was in a store on the 100 block of North State Street just before 9:30 p.m. when an argument turned physical. The victim was reportedly stabbed in the back and the suspects took off from that scene.
Shoplifting
On top of the physical violence, Hopkins told WGN-TV the 7-Eleven store at North McClurg Court and East Ontario Street was "severely shoplifted."
Impact on Local Businesses
"I personally witnessed teenagers go in there in large groups and just walked out with armloads of merchandise that they didn’t pay for," Hopkins said. "Some of these teenagers are very violent when you confront them and the security guard didn’t feel a bag of Cheetos was worth getting stabbed, so he just let it happen. 7-Eleven lost a lot of money last night, so this is having a very severe impact on the local businesses."
Resident Frustration
Area residents told WGN-TV Saturday morning they were frustrated.
Neighborhood Reaction
“I am shocked, and I think a lot of people are, given that these things are happening in March, and generally these things happen in the summer months, but the fact that it’s happening earlier this year, I think, is concerning a lot of residents," Dusza said.
Clean-up Efforts
Gail Spreen, a resident of 30 years in the neighborhood, and president of the Cityfront Center East Maintenance Association, left heavily littered after trash cans were tipped over and trash was left behind, spoke with WGN-TV as crews worked to clean up the area Saturday.
Neighborhood Pride
"I am the biggest Streeterville cheerleader in the neighborhood, so it really upsets me," Spreen said. "It was terrible to see. We welcome people to Streeterville, but they have to be civil. If you’re not going to be civil, then get out of the neighborhood."
Discussing Solutions
During a recent town hall, area residents voiced concerns over similar incidents and said they want to see solutions, especially as the warm summer months approach.
Community Concerns
“This is not the Chicago we want people to take home with them, I mean, two weeks ago a woman was shot – a tourist visiting from Connecticut. That was shocking, then seeing this,” Dusza said.
Hopes for the Future
Dusza, who has lived in the neighborhood for six years, said he loves the area and hopes this doesn’t deter tourism or people wanting to move downtown.
Call to Action
“It’s sad, it’s embarrassing, and we just need to do better as a city,” Dusza said.
Previous Incidents
Just last month, a tourist from Connecticut was shot while walking with her son. According to Hopkins, the shots were fired near East Illinois and N. McClurg Ct. during an argument after a group of teens were kicked out of the theater.
Proposed Curfew
Hopkins, with the support of Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd), who also serves the Streeterville community, is calling for an 8 p.m. curfew for unattended minors. He has filed the ordinance, which is he expects to be voted on during a City Council meeting in April.
Statement from the Mayor’s Office
WGN-TV has also reached out to the mayor’s office and Reilly for a statement on Friday’s events. The mayor’s office sent the following statement, while Reilly has not yet responded to the request for comment"
Mayor’s Statement
No one wants to see the reckless and dangerous behavior that was exhibited last night and we are not going to tolerate that in our city. Our police department is currently investigating the incident, and all those who have caused chaos will be held accountable.
Gun Violence
We continue to have a serious problem with guns in our city. These guns do not come from Chicago. Just last year, we removed 12,000 guns from the streets of Chicago, but we must do more to stop the endless flow of weapons into our city.
Curfew Proposal
As far as the neighborhood curfew is concerned, I am not in favor of the proposal because it would just displace these young people into the nearest neighborhood. It’s not productive to shift the problem to the next community over. What we have to do is enforce the current citywide curfew law that we already have in place before we consider additional measures.
Safe Spaces for Youth
And we need to make sure that there are additional safe spaces for our young people this spring and summer. We are calling on our City Department, our civic community, our business community, our philanthropic community, and our faith community to lean in and keep working with us to create even more spaces and opportunities for our young people this year.
Investigation
No arrests have been made in the shooting or stabbing, according to police. Area Three Detectives are investigating both incidents.
Conclusion
The incident in Streeterville highlights the need for community and authorities to work together to address the issue of teen violence and ensure public safety. The proposed curfew and calls for safe spaces for youth are steps towards finding a solution, but more needs to be done to prevent such incidents in the future.
FAQs
- Q: What happened in Streeterville on Friday night?
A: A 15-year-old boy was shot, and more than a dozen people were arrested as hundreds of teens descended on the neighborhood. - Q: How many arrests were made?
A: 14 arrests were made, and an additional six juveniles were taken into custody for curfew violations. - Q: What is being proposed to address the issue of teen violence?
A: An 8 p.m. curfew for unattended minors is being proposed. - Q: What is the mayor’s stance on the curfew proposal?
A: The mayor is not in favor of the proposal, suggesting it would displace the problem to another neighborhood. - Q: What is being done to prevent future incidents?
A: The city is calling for the creation of more safe spaces for young people and enforcing the current citywide curfew law.
