More than 50 people were arrested, and multiple police officers were injured on Chicago’s North Side overnight Sunday as the aftermath of the city’s Pride parade descended into chaos with reports of people jumping on vehicles and throwing bottles. The wild scenes took place in the vicinity of Clark and Halsted Streets in Lakeview at around 1:30 a.m. early Monday – 12 hours after the pride parade concluded – with the Chicago Police Department (CPD) saying that officers had objects thrown at them and four firearms were recovered while responding to the rowdy crowds.
CPD says that those arrested were charged with crimes including aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, aggravated battery against a police officer, aggravated assault of a transit employee, and armed habitual criminal. In one incident, a CPD officer was attacked by a 20-year-old woman who refused to follow the officer’s order in the 1000 block of West School Street. The woman allegedly pulled the officer’s hair and struck the officer multiple times. The suspect was taken into custody, and the officer suffered a minor laceration and refused treatment at the scene.
There were also reports of people fighting on a bus and people dancing on CTA buses. In a video posted online, one woman could be seen twerking atop a CPD vehicle. CPD said it left a large police presence in place after the celebrations to address large groups of individuals congregating.
“Without the responsiveness and attention of the men and women of CPD, the residents, businesses, and visitors to this area of the city would have likely faced increased criminal activity well into the early morning hours,” CPD said in a statement. “Our officers worked 12-hour shifts and canceled days off to ensure we had sufficient resources to protect all those who were living, visiting, and working in the area during and after the parade. We thank our officers for upholding their commitment to keeping our city safe.”
The Pride parade in Chicago this year followed a shorter route with fewer floats and went off peacefully. Resident Meredith Maiorana told ABC 7 that the rowdy crowd was partying long after the parade had finished. “The parade was done, hours and hours ago, and this was still happening the whole day, and I think [police] were just trying to encourage people to go home,” Maiorana said. “People were just partying, and it was obvious people were intoxicated and just being loud and rambunctious. There were people doing some kind of club dancing. It was pretty wild.”
The arrests came on the same day that violence broke out in New York City after a Pride parade in Manhattan, with the disorder stretching on for hours, according to a series of videos posted online. In one ugly incident at Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village, a young woman in pink was yanked from behind by the hair over a concrete barrier at the edge of a massive fountain. A moment later, someone punched the woman standing next to her in the face, sending her tumbling down as well. Video shows both women being punched in the face repeatedly and thrown across the ground by their assailants before they escaped into the crowd.
