A dramatic chase involving the US Border Patrol unfolded in Chicago on Tuesday, following an incident where a suspected undocumented immigrant crashed into a federal vehicle, ending in a collision and leading to a standoff between law enforcement and local residents.
<pAccording to officials from the Department of Homeland Security, a red SUV driven by an individual believed to be in the country illegally collided with a Border Patrol vehicle before attempting to flee on the Southeast Side of the city.
Agents employed an “authorized precision immobilization technique (PIT) maneuver,” which caused the red SUV to spin backward through an intersection, crashing into another vehicle, as reported by CNN.
As the SUV collided, two occupants exited the vehicle and fled, prompting federal agents in a white SUV to pursue them.
Border Patrol agents succeeded in capturing and detaining the two individuals; however, the surrounding crowd quickly became “hostile,” according to DHS officials.
As police supervisors arrived around 11 a.m. to calm the situation and federal agents began to withdraw, bystanders began throwing objects at them, as indicated by the Chicago Police Department.
In response, federal agents released tear gas canisters, filling the area with clouds of smoke.
Reports revealed that thirteen police officers were also exposed to the tear gas.
Images from the incident portrayed agents directing crowd control weapons at individuals in the crowd from close proximity.
During the altercation, a 16-year-old and a 19-year-old US citizens were reportedly detained by federal agents, despite no evidence of them throwing objects, as claimed by a witness sharing her experience with WGNTV.
“When the tear gas was deployed, everyone started to run. They took two people I knew because they were nearby,” she recounted.
Juanita Garnica received a call while at work, informing her that her 16-year-old son was detained by Border Patrol agents, along with alarming reports of him being assaulted, according to the outlet.
“They told me, ‘Juanita, you have an emergency. ICE has taken your son. They assaulted him,’” Garnica recounted to journalists.
Her son was reportedly confined for five hours in a federal building’s garage without charges or the ability to make phone calls or consult an attorney.
Meanwhile, nineteen-year-old Warren King was also restrained by an agent and slammed down, despite pleas from friends asserting his citizenship, as reported by the outlet.
King was immediately taken downtown and eventually moved to Calumet Park. His family, tracking his whereabouts, arrived with his birth certificate to confirm his citizenship.
The exact number of individuals involved in the confrontation with federal agents remains uncertain.
As of publication, neither the DHS nor the Chicago Police Department had responded to inquiries for comments.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker criticized the actions of federal agents towards protestors on Tuesday, describing their treatment as “abominable,” stating they were attacked with tear gas, pepper pellets, and rubber bullets while simply exercising their right to protest.
Since the launch of Operation Midway Blitz by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, there have been numerous violent confrontations in the Windy City.
The operation aims to “target criminal undocumented individuals who have come to Chicago and Illinois, aware that Governor Pritzker’s sanctuary policies would shield them, allowing them to operate freely on US streets,” stated the department in a recent post on X.
With contributions from wire services
