Teen charged with throwing firecracker at, injuring police officer responding to street racing in West Loop
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A teenager is facing charges after police say he threw fireworks at police officers, striking and injuring one.
According to the Chicago Police Department, officers responded to a call of street racing and fireworks being thrown from the upper level of a parking garage in the 1100 block of South Canal on Saturday morning around 4:23 a.m.
It was a dramatic scene as hundreds of people gathered to watch with screeching tires and donuts in the middle of a West Loop intersection.
Even after a rain, skid marks were still visible in the entire intersection at Monro and South Clinton. Video from the Citizen App captured the incident. Neighbors say the even lasted hours with people stnading around cars as they drove donuts around and around and cars blocked off the intersection to traffic.
The video later shows police responding, sounding their sirens and trying to get through. But when they eventually did -- fireworks went off.
A 17-year-old was arrested in the 500 block of West Taylor about an hour later for throwing the fireworks and striking an officer.
"It's not surprising at all," said one neighbor who watched from his window. "It's, you know, exactly what I'd expect in that, the cops have their hands tied. They're so understaffed, and it's clearly a problem from the top down that just doesn't get addressed."
That teen is now charged with one felony count of aggravated assault to a police officer.
CBS 2 has met with members of the sideshow community -- the term used for all these tricks in the streets -- who attended events like this one. Those sources said that they are trying to do just that -- have their own space away from the city to drive. But they have not come to an agreement with the city on a designated spot because the practice itself is illegal.
