Teenage girl charged with possessing weapon, cars damaged in Hyde Park teen takeover

A teenage girl is facing weapons charges, and residents are cleaning up after their cars were badly damaged following a teen takeover in Hyde Park.

Cell phone video shows Monday's takeover as it turned destructive.  A seemingly endless rush of teenagers can be seen jumping on cars parked on a quiet Hyde Park street.

Jason Hale's car, parked on Dorchester Avenue near 52nd Street, was trampled on.

"Absolute chaos, cops everywhere, tons of them on bikes, sirens," he said.

The footprints were clear to see on his newly dented hood.

"The incident that happened here, where they ran over the cars, we saw it from the windows," he said.

Despite warnings of the teen takeover hours earlier, it happened anyway. Police could be seen walking alongside the large gathering—but ultimately they were outnumbered. 

A youth violence interrupter shared video and photos from what he called chaos and said his group did all they could to try to curb it.

Despite the large number of teens in Hyde Park for that takeover, Chicago police said they issued just three curfew violations and charged a 16-year-old girl for unlawful possession of a weapon and disorderly conduct.

Last week, eight teens were arrested and 24 others cited for curfew violations after several fights broke out during a downtown teen takeover

Mayor Brandon Johnson said last week that the issue was not on politicians alone, and called on parents and for more investment in designated spaces for teens to safely enjoy the city. So far, he has rejected proposals to modify the 10 p.m. curfew to give police more enforcement flexibility.

"Parents and guardians, I need your assistance in knowing where your children are at all times," Johnson said.

"If they don't have the guidance or mentorship of the parent figure to guide them in the right place, then it's not going to work," Hale said.