The Brief
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12 Arrested: Chicago police arrested two adults and 10 juveniles Friday night after a large teen gathering downtown. Charges have not been disclosed.
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Two Violent Incidents: An 18-year-old was stabbed inside a Loop store, and a 15-year-old was shot in Streeterville. Both victims were hospitalized in stable condition.
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Ongoing Investigation: Police are investigating the incidents, but no suspects have been identified or taken into custody.
CHICAGO – Twelve people were arrested Friday night after a large gathering of teenagers in downtown Chicago led to two violent incidents, police said.
The city estimates 300 teens gathered for about four hours.
Arrests Made After ‘Teen Takeover’
What we know
Chicago police confirmed Saturday that two adults and 10 juveniles were taken into custody. They have not released details on their charges.
The arrests followed two reported violent incidents in the downtown area Friday night.
Teen Shot, Another Stabbed
An 18-year-old male was stabbed inside a store in the Loop around 8:45 p.m. in the 100 block of North State Street after an altercation with a group, police said.
During the confrontation, someone pulled a knife and stabbed the victim in the back before fleeing the scene, authorities said.
The victim was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in fair condition.
About an hour later, a 15-year-old boy was injured in a shooting in Streeterville, suffering a graze wound to the leg, according to police.
It happened just after 9:40 p.m. in the 400 block of North Cityfront Plaza Drive. Officers saw a large group fleeing the area and found the teen on the ground.
He was taken to Lurie Children’s Hospital in good condition.
What they’re saying
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson issued a statement on the teen gathering, shared below:
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
Ald. Brian Hopkins, Ward 2, said Chicago teens are allowed to gather in whatever community they want, but “they’re not able to break windows, steal from stores, jump on cars, block traffic, intimidate pedestrians or shoot guns into crowds.”
A teen bash was held Saturday at Navy Pier with 1,500 young people in attendance for video games, skateboarding and a massive job fair.
Hopkins added that the event was “successful, giving them alternatives, support and instruction.”
What’s next
Police are continuing to investigate both incidents and believe rainfall on Saturday night helped prevent large crowds from returning.
Ald. Hopkins is pushing for a curfew change, proposing it be moved from 10 p.m. to 8 p.m. However, Mayor Johnson disagrees, arguing it would “displace young people, shifting the problem to the next community over.”
We’ll bring more updates to this story as they become available.
