Teens shot, officers hit by car in violent Memorial Day weekend in Chicago
Chicago police detectives on Sunday were investigating multiple shootings and other violent incidents stemming from gatherings of teens this Memorial Day weekend.
A number of takeovers occurred on Chicago's West Side overnight Saturday into Sunday. Not only did multiple teenagers end up in the hospital as a result of large gatherings, but five police officers were also taken to the hospital after a car plowed through one of the crowds and hit them.
At 3:20 a.m., CPD officers were on foot dispersing the large crowd in the 1200 block of South Loomis Street, in the area of the ABLA Brooks Homes, when an 18-year-old man headed west in the eastbound lanes of Roosevelt Road in a blue sedan struck the officers.
After hitting the officers, the car hit a Chicago Police Department vehicle, a pole, and a fence, police said.
Police radio calls gave a look as to what police were up against in the middle of the night, with a large group estimated at about 100 teens gathered in the street and dancing on top of a tow truck.
Video posted to social media showed the moments after a driver went through a crowd of people, including police officers.
The teen driver was arrested, police said. A gun was recovered from the car.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson reacted Sunday to what has been a violent weekend so far.
"These unauthorized gatherings, as we have indicated multiple times, that they can be dangerous," the mayor said. "In this case, we saw the manifestation of that danger."
Within the same hour of those officers being injured, gunshots rang out while other Chicago police officers were near Washtenaw Park, in the 2500 block of South Washtenaw Avenue in the Little Village community.
Police said after arriving at 3:02 a.m., they found four gunshot victims — three girls, one of them 18 and two 16, and the fourth victim a boy just 14 years old.
Police said a male suspect ran off on foot before officers arrived.
CBS News Chicago captured video of officers on the scene walking out two people in handcuffs.
Mayor Johnson said Sunday that accountability cannot just lie with the teenagers in this case.
"We need our parents to know where their children are," the mayor said. "I know where my son was at 3 o'clock in the morning. After he went to prom, he came home. And we need parents to ensure that their children are coming home."
In connection to the mass shooting in Little Village, police said they were investigating late Sunday and had not made any arrests.
Chicago police said they have responded to more than a dozen shootings this Memorial Day holiday weekend since Friday night. However, none of the shootings had resulted in death as of early Monday morning.