A 14-year-old boy was charged with aggravated battery in a March shooting of another boy during a “teen takeover” in the Streeterville neighborhood, Chicago police said.
The boy was arrested Monday in the 400 block of East Pershing Road after he was identified as the person who shot a 15-year-old boy March 28 in the 400 block of North City Front Plaza Drive, police said.
The boy was charged Tuesday as a juvenile with a felony count of aggravated battery/discharge of a firearm and another felony count of unlawful use of a weapon possession of a firearm, police said.
The teenage boy was scheduled for a hearing in Juvenile Detention Court.
“Teen takeovers” have drawn hundreds of young people over the past few years in the city’s downtown neighborhoods, which have sometimes ended in violence. The gatherings often start with a post on Instagram or TikTok, spreading quicker if people considered important or influential boost them, experts say.
Streeterville residents have said they’re worried about safety and accessibility in their pricey neighborhood, calling for stricter curfews and police enforcement. Groups working with kids on the South and West sides, however, believe more investment in after-school activities is needed, and are worried about criminalizing young people with “punitive” measures.
So far, Mayor Brandon Johnson has rejected calls for an earlier curfew, telling reporters this week that he was more interested in how to “invest in young people and create more healthy safe spaces for them” as a solution.
