2 Investigators: S.W.A.T. Sweep Fails To Find Suspects Hiding In Attic
(CBS) -- A dozen highly trained Chicago police S.W.A.T. team members are facing discipline for failing to clear a South Side residence where gang members hid after shooting at a top police supervisor.
The night of Dec. 1, 2016, Noel Sanchez, commander of the South Chicago police district, was on patrol near 88th and Saginaw in an unmarked unit when bullets pierced his Ford Taurus. The shooting marked the third time in a week that Chicago police were under fire.
The alleged shooters holed up in a ramshackle coach house.
Hours later, when they refused to leave, SWAT gained access with "flash bangs" and force.
Police arrested Isiah "Fifty" Moore and two others and recovered two handguns.
But 2 Investigator Brad Edwards learned members of the Special Weapons and Tactics team made a critical error when clearing the premises.
"When you clear a scene, whether it's the original officers there or the SWAT officers, that should be a message of safety -- that everything is covered," says Richard Schak, a retired Chicago police sergeant who chairs the criminal justice department at National Louis University.
"It's a huge mistake and lives could've been put at risk," he says.
That's because, after clearing the scene, a further search revealed that two other persons were hiding in the crawl space of the attic.
"If I were in charge I would say there's discipline warranted," Schak says. "But discipline has many facets. And in this case, discipline would be instructional, rather than just punishment. These officers were trained how to search. But it needs to be reinforced."
One of those who lingered in the crawl space after SWAT cleared the scene was Black P Stone gang member Ivanti Byrom, who goes by "Johnny" or "Menace," according to police records obtained by 2 Investigators through the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.
He and Moore are facing charges of attempted murder for allegedly taking aim at Cmdr. Sanchez.
"SWAT is ... nationally recognized for their precision and tactical execution of high-valued operations," a Chicago police spokesman says in a statement. "The officers received appropriate discipline for their actions and the Special Functions Division will ensure appropriate retraining for officers."