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Chicago man arrested for smashing officer in the head with a skateboard as group attacked cops

Chicago man arrested for smashing officer in the head with a skateboard as group attacked cops 1

CHICAGO, IL – According to a recent tweet from the Chicago Police Department (CPD), a man has been charged with felony aggravated battery to a peace officer after striking the police officer in the head with a skateboard. 

The suspect, now identified as Jeremy Johnson, 25 was captured on video striking officer over and over again. The officer was wearing a protective helmet and only sustained minor injuries. He was treated at a local hospital and has since been released.

As of this writing, no further details on the suspect or charges have been released.

The incident took place during a protest on Saturday. According to reports, protesters clashed with Chicago police after an intense afternoon of prolonged demonstrations. These peaceful demonstrations were led by Rabbi Michael Ben Yosef and they ended at Roosevelt and Michigan.

Allegedly, Yosef said that his group of peaceful protesters wrapped up the protest with some speeches and then they dismantled. Police Superintendent David Brown confirmed that no arrests were made during the peaceful demonstrations.

It was later in the afternoon during a separate protest that agitators hijacked the peaceful protest and began throwing harmful projectiles at police officers. This conflict caused protesters to start running down Michigan Avenue. As they began to walk east on Wacker Drive, the group squared off with the police.

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According to authorities, that’s when protesters began hurling frozen bottles at them. Uniformed police both in riot gear and without, stood guard at nearly every street corner in downtown Chicago, hoping to avoid a repeat of last weekend’s destructive events that lead to mass looting.

At a news conference, Brown said that two officers had been injured. One suffered a hand injury and the other was hit repeatedly over the head with a skateboard. 

DEVELOPING: A man has been charged with felony aggravated battery to a peace officer after striking a Chicago police officer in the head with a skateboard repeatedly during a protest Saturday.

Posted by Fox 32 Chicago on Sunday, August 16, 2020

StarTribune reported that on Sunday, mayor Lori Lightfoot told CBS “Face the Nation” that:

“Agitators have embedded themselves in these seemingly peaceful protests and come for a fight.”

She added:

“Though the clashes were over fairly quickly because our police department is resolved to make sure that we protect peaceful protests.”

Brown said that some individuals in the group used black umbrellas to make it harder for police to see them. They pushed officers and assaulted them. According to police, the violent demonstrations led to two dozen arrests, 17 injured officers, and two injured protesters. 

Saturday’s violence comes after weeks of nightly protests, including the weekend prior where massive looting, vandalizing, and destruction took place in various department stores on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile.

Among the BLM protesters on August 15th, there was a presence of Antifa-style agitators as well with violent outbursts transpiring. One of the formed police lines during the protest shows numerous people attacking police while officers can be seen defending themselves with a bike line and batons.

While Yosef claimed that the protests he led on Saturday were peaceful, it seems violent protesters hid themselves in those crowds and as soon as they saw the right opportunity, they broke out and before anyone knew it, hundreds of people where clashing with the officers that were protecting and serving their city.

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Here is another article from Law Enforcement Today about concerns CPD officers have of charges against protesters being dropped:

After the death of George Floyd in May, civil unrest and riots have caused chaos in mainly major metropolitan areas, including Chicago. 

Violence in the city has skyrocketed and Democratic leaders are struggling to come up with any real solution except for blaming President Trump. 

Recently, Chicago officers arrested over 100 people for looting and rioting and they are concerned that the charges will be dropped.  Now, the Police Superintendent is demanding those arrested be prosecuted. 

In the latest round of violence, Chicago Police Officers responded to reports claiming a man was armed with a gun.  As the officers were speaking with the man about his previous arrests he had, he took off on foot.  Officers immediately gave chase and the man began shooting at the officers pursuing him. 

Officers returned and the criminal was struck, dropped his gun and fell to the ground. 

The man, who was not identified, was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.  Three officers were also taken to the hospital for medical evaluation. 

Police believe this incident is what sparked the civil unrest and riots. 

Chicago Deputy Chief of Police Yolanda Talley said that people went to the streets when their “emotions” were “running high.” 

Several officers were injured during the course of the riots, one sustaining a shoulder injury and the other sprayed with a chemical agent.  Bricks were also thrown at a police vehicle which ended up breaking a window. 

Talley said:

“This is a direct response to one agitator on the scene getting people worked up without having the whole story.” 

Talley seems to be referring to a social media post in which claimed that officers had shot and killed a 15-year-old boy.  That post, watched almost 100,000 times caused a push for people to respond into the mostly commercial district to damage property and steal items from stores.

Police Superintendent David Brown said that the events that unfolded are nothing more than “violence against police.”  In all, 13 officers were injured during the chaos, thankfully, none of the injuries appear life threatening. 

The scene unfolded after hundreds of people were brought to the downtown commercial district around 11:45pm.  Thieves took to the stores and stole everything that was not tied down.  Stores were seen with empty shelves where electronics used to be and empty clothing racks. 

The Chicago Police Department was at least prepared for this event as they had also seen the calls on social media for the planned looting and destruction of property.  They dispatched roughly 400 officers into the area in order to deter crime and enforce the law. 

As a result, over 100 people were arrested.

Brown said in a statement:

“Criminals took to the street with confidence there would be no consequences.  We have to have consequences for the arrests Chicago police officers make.” 

Brown continued:

“Not many of those cases [past protests] were prosecuted to the full extent.  These looters, these thieves, these criminals being emboldened by (the last of) consequences…emboldened to do more.” 

These comments seem to be a direct reference to Democratic Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx and her dismissal of most of the chargers against protesters and rioters.  Foxx’s office refused to prosecute over 800 protesters who had, in their opinion, minor charges.

Foxx said:

 “Those 817 represent non-violent offenses, offenses that in some cases would be considered ordinance violations outside of the statute.  Also, they don’t involve crimes of violence or allegations involving a victim.” 

Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoot, along with Brown, are urging Foxx’s office to prosecute those arrested in the latest crime spree.  Lightfoot said:

“People believe there is no accountability in our criminal justice system [and] we need the prosecutors and courts to step up.”

What Lightfoot is now realizing it that law and order in a civilized society is important. 

When arrests are made and the charges are dropped (for legal arrests), that tells the people involved that they are free to do as they wish without fear of repercussions. 

This, in and of itself, will cause more crime because they not alone will continue committing the crimes themselves, but their friends who saw them get away with it will also join in.    

Whether or not Foxx steps up and files the charges against the criminals this time or not remains to be seen.  However, at least for today, it seems even Lightfoot is beginning to wake up.

In case you missed what happened in the latest crime spree, here’s our breakdown from Monday morning:

CHICAGO, IL– Can anyone tell us what this has to do with George Floyd?

In Chicago overnight, widespread looting took place… with Twitter users posting videos of hundreds of people looting stores such as Nordstrom, Walgreens, Macy’s, Coach, Gucci and Louis Vuitton.

https://twitter.com/SarahJindra/status/1292759766431936513

As of Monday morning, responding units in Chicago have arrested more than 100 people on charges ranging from disorderly conduct to battery against police.

The widespread looting and clashes with police were sparked by an officer-involved shooting that had taken place hours earlier.

Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said that 13 of his officers were hurt during the unrest, including a sergeant that was struck in the face with a bottle and an officer who had his nose broken while attempting to gain the compliance of a group of looters.

Brown said in a statement Monday morning:

“This was not an organized protest. Rather, this was an incident of pure criminality. This was an act of violence against our police officers and against our city.”

The looting and violence against officers took place across Chicago’s Magnificent Mile shopping district.

Brown also said that a security guard and a civilian, both innocent victims, were transported to a nearby hospital and are in critical condition after being hit with gunfire during the overnight looting.

So far, five guns have been recovered from the looting incidents. Brown said that he has ordered detectives to comb over high definition footage of suspects and vehicles from the looting scenes. Brown added:

“I, for one, refuse to allow these cowardly acts to hold our city hostage. CPD will not stand by as our beautiful downtown becomes some place that people fear.”

He reiterated:

“I pledge to pursue these offenders to the fullest extent of the law. A heavy police presence will continue throughout the downtown area today and until further notice.”

The unrest that ripped through stores such as Nordstrom, Walgreens, Macy’s, Coach, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton began Sunday afternoon following an officer-involved shooting incident. Police responded to a report of a man with a gun in the city’s Englewood neighborhood.

When responding officers go to the area, the alleged suspect fled on foot.  While being pursued by police, the man turned and fired shots at the officers. This deadly force prompted the sound response of the officers, who returned fire. 

Deputy Chief Delonda Tally said in a statement:

“During the foot pursuit, the offender turned and fired shots at the officers. The officers then returned discharging their weapon.”

After the suspect was shot, an unruly crowd began to hurl things at officers as they held the line to protect the crime scene. Deputy Chief Tally said:

“We do have an officer that was maced by someone in the crowd. We do have an officer that sustained a shoulder injury from the incident with the crowd. One of our vehicles, the windows were shattered by a brick.”

Tally also said that the violent outburst from the crowd was a direct response from one agitator, a man who claims he witnessed the shooting and claimed the police confiscated his phone afterward. Police arrested two individuals from the unruly crowd.

According to police, the suspect has previously been arrested four times for charges including burglary, child endangerment, and domestic battery.

The three officers that were involved in the shooting were taken to a nearby hospital for observation. The suspect was transported to the University of Chicago Hospital. His current condition is unknown.

Following the unrest from the officer-involved shooting, looting and vandalism erupted in the Magnificent Mile and other parts of downtown Chicago. The looting started around midnight and by 3 a.m., officers were able to get the scene under control.

https://twitter.com/SarahJindra/status/1292759766431936513

A rock was thrown at a police car and there was anti-cop graffiti in various locations. According to authorities, several arrests were made. Illinois State Police assisted CPD by blocking off expressway ramps going in and out of the loop area in order to prevent looters from fleeing the scene.

At the request of public safety officials, the Chicago Transit Authority shut down all train and bus service downtown in order to prevent looters from fleeing the scene. The bridges over the Chicago River were also lifted to prevent further entry into and exit from the downtown area.

In addition to the unrest, looting, and vandalism the weekend included three deaths and at least 35 people were shot. From January 1 through the end of July, 440 homicides took place in Chicago and 2,240 people were shot. Many of those individual were killed. 

—

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