Hours of chaos: Police reports paint picture of latest violent disturbance in Chicago's downtown
CHICAGO — By Chicago’s standards, the winter was relatively mild.
Still, with temperatures near 80 degrees — the warmest weekend in months — hundreds of city youths headed to 31st Street Beach in the twilight hours of Friday, April 14, where a young teen was shot in the leg.
It might have served as a warning to some, as another “teen takeover” unfolded in the heart of downtown the following night, and two teen boys were shot and wounded near Millennium Park.
More than a dozen police reports obtained by the Chicago Tribune show how the chaos unfolded as Chicago police for hours struggled to control hundreds of teens and young adults as they darted through traffic, smashed windows and carried out acts of violence.
Large outdoor gatherings of young people aren’t new in Chicago, and the “teen takeover” events — organized on social media, usually a few days in advance — have sometimes turned violent. The gatherings have largely vexed the last two mayors and three Chicago Police Department superintendents. Strategies to handle the youth meet-ups are among the criteria being used to grade candidates for the CPD superintendent job.
