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Police detain at least 12 during ‘large group’ incident in Millennium Park and the Loop
April 24, 2022 CWBChicago Loop


Update 3:57 p.m. — According to CPD, 8 juveniles and 2 adults are facing criminal charges. Police cited another 9 juveniles for curfew violations.

Chicago police detained more than a dozen people, mostly juveniles, as a “large group” of young people converged on the Loop and Millennium Park yesterday evening, according to initial information. EMS transported least four juveniles to hospitals for various injuries during the hours-long incident.

A CPD spokesperson said the department did not have an official arrest count as of Sunday morning, but officers announced at least 16 detainee transports from the area on the downtown police radio frequency. An officer who worked in the area estimated the crowd at between 300 and 400 people.Chicago police officers at “The Bean” during a large group incident in Millennium Park on April 23, 2022. | Citizen


The group formed near Cloud Gate, the sculpture commonly called “The Bean,” around 7 p.m. Police began reporting fights throughout the area and people running into the streets a short time later.

Officers arrested two juveniles and recovered a handgun after cops monitoring surveillance cameras saw a teenager passing a gun to others near The Bean at 7:55 p.m. A 16-year-old is charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon as a juvenile.

Fights broke out sporadically throughout the evening. Some cops reported people threw bottles and fireworks at them. Groups of people jumped on cars in traffic, too. Bystanders captured some of those incidents on video.


Among the more seriously injured was a female of unknown age who was hit in the head and fell to the pavement near Michigan and Monroe around 10 p.m. A group also attacked a 14-year-old boy near Michigan and Madison at about the same time, according to CPD reports. EMS took them both to hospitals for treatment.

An officer radioed he was arresting one person for “setting balls of hair on fire under The Bean” around 10:30 p.m., but he said there was no damage. The fire department did not respond.

Most of the people taken into custody face misdemeanor charges or ordinance violations for things like mob action and curfew violations, according to an officer who is familiar with the details.

Saturday’s “large group” was the first such incident since police arrested 24 people in the same area on December 4.

Chicago police handled six similar incidents in the Loop and Millennium Park last year, beginning on April 27. The city took a hands-off approach for months until police and political leaders approved a more robust response during a July 4 gathering.

Police arrested 60 people during the Independence Day bash. The word apparently got out because the groups didn’t return for five months.