Chicago police were reportedly instructed by their chief of patrol not to assist federal agents who were reportedly under threat from an angry mob of protesters, as revealed by unsettling dispatch recordings and internal communications.
A group of federal agents was conducting a normal patrol on the city’s South Side when they became surrounded and assaulted by vehicles during an incident involving anti-ICE demonstrators, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
This incident occurred approximately 15 miles from the site of ongoing protests outside the ICE processing center located in Broadview, a suburb of Chicago.
When the agents attempted to exit their pinned vehicle, a woman, who was later discovered to be armed with a semi-automatic weapon, tried to run them over but was ultimately shot by police.
Initially, local law enforcement was prepared to assist, but dispatch audio reveals they were instructed to hold back from the scene by a higher-ranking officer.
“A younger male Hispanic wearing all black… wanted for hit and run, this guy fled from the scene,” a dispatcher relayed in response to a distress call from the trapped ICE agents, as detailed in audio shared by ExxAlerts.
The dispatcher continued, “When the involved vehicle crashed, they forced the federal agent off the road; the individuals fled on foot heading west.”
<pA male voice then came through the radio, instructing the dispatcher to direct officers to stay a few blocks away and wait for further orders.
<p“Per the chief of patrol: clear everybody out, we’re not responding over there,” the male voice stated firmly.
The dispatcher subsequently informed the responding officers, “Per the chief of patrol, all units clear out from there, we’re not sending anybody to that location.”
An officer could be heard amidst the chaos of sirens stating, “We’re going to clear out as soon as we can; we’re kind of trapped over here, so we’ll do our best to get out of here.”
An internal memo circulated among Chicago police corroborated the alarming directive. “PLEASE CHIEF OF PATROL NO UNITS WILL RESPOND TO THIS; CALLER IS ONE OF APPROXIMATELY 30 ARMED PATROL AGENTS (ICE) WHO ARE BEING SURROUNDED BY A LARGE CROWD,” the dispatch communication outlined.
Despite the information circulating, the Chicago Police Department disputed the narrative, asserting that their officers responded to the scene to maintain public safety and traffic management.
<p“To clarify misinformation currently circulating, CPD officers did indeed respond to the shooting scene involving federal authorities on Saturday,” the department stated in a response to Fox. “The Chicago Police Department will always respond to anyone under threat of harm.”
As reported by officials, the group of demonstrators had encircled the federal agents with ten vehicles.
<p“Today in Chicago, our brave law enforcement personnel were attacked—rammed and boxed in by ten vehicles, with one assailant armed with a semi-automatic weapon,” stated Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on social media, promising to allocate additional resources to the distressed area.
The protestors had gathered in proximity to 39th Place and South Kedzie Avenue to demonstrate against the shooting of the armed woman, leading to federal agents deploying tear gas, according to reports from the Chicago Sun-Times.
This escalation of violence comes following the launch of “Operation Midway Blitz,” by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last month, aimed at “targeting criminal illegal aliens who have settled in Chicago due to the sanctuary policies that protect them,” the department announced in a recent social media post.
Reports indicate that demonstrators have increasingly resorted to using vehicles to assault ICE agents in the Chicago region, with the Department of Homeland Security citing multiple similar incidents occurring within a single week.
Lucky for law enforcement, no injuries were reported amid the mob attack, while the woman shot by police sought medical attention for her injuries.
Since Friday, more than a dozen protesters have been taken into custody near the ICE facility, as per Fox News reports.
The Chicago Police Department did not respond to inquiries from The Post for further comments.