Cops from 6 districts brought in to handle large crowd leaving North Avenue Beach; 5 arrests

Chicago Police Arrest Five Individuals, Including Three Juveniles, After Large Beach Crowd Moves Through Old Town and Lincoln Park

Chicago police arrested five people, including three juveniles, as a large crowd leaving North Avenue Beach moved through Old Town and Lincoln Park on Tuesday night, according to a CPD spokesperson.

Police Response

Police commanders deployed two saturation teams and tactical units from six of the city’s 22 CPD districts to manage the crowd, a source reported.

Approximately 200 people, most appearing to be in their teens or early 20s, began leaving the beach via LaSalle Drive and the North Avenue pedestrian underpass shortly before 10 p.m. Minutes later, a CPD supervisor requested additional patrol cars to help with the crowd at North Avenue and Clark Street, leading to two swift arrests.

Officers formed lines to guide the crowd west along North Avenue. Video posted on the Citizen app captured several dozen individuals walking in traffic lanes, trailed by police. Cops also contained a portion of the crowd that reached the 1500 block of North Wells, an area lined with restaurants and bars. However, an 18th District police supervisor instructed officers to refrain from using loudspeakers or sirens to avoid disturbing nearby residents.

Arrests and Charges

According to a CPD spokesperson, three juveniles were detained during the incident: two boys, ages 16 and 17, were charged with battery and resisting a peace officer, while another 17-year-old boy was cited for possessing alcohol on park property.

Two adults were also charged, the spokesperson said: Honest Williams, 19, faces charges of misdemeanor reckless conduct and resisting a peace officer and Devon Mitchell, 19, was charged with two counts of resisting a peace officer and one count of reckless conduct.

A similar incident involving large crowds leaving the beach occurred in the same area in May 2022.

City Council Consideration

The arrests occurred hours before the City Council was to consider a proposed “snap curfew” ordinance, which would authorize the police superintendent to impose a curfew at any location with 30 minutes’ notice. Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward) is leading efforts to pass the ordinance as a tool to help police manage “large group” or “teen trend” incidents.

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