| Submit your comments on this article |
| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| Chicago alderman says police are 'handcuffed' from stopping teen takeovers under Mayor Brandon Johnson |
| 2026-04-23 |
| [FoxNews] Johnson avoided the term 'takeover,' instead warning residents of a possible 'teen trend' on social media One Chicago alderman is sounding the alarm after a recent wave of teen takeovers taking place under Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson, saying that police are "handcuffed" from stopping them. Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez, a Democrat, told Fox News Digital that the city is in for a "very long, very brutal" summer of teen takeovers and street takeovers if the mayor doesn't get a grip on the situation. He said policies in Chicago prevent police from correctly handling the teen takeovers seen in recent months. "I do not believe that Mayor Brandon Johnson is doing enough to tamper down these activities," Lopez said. "What we have seen is Chicago has now become a destination location for illegal street takeovers like this where hundreds of youth are encouraged to descend on a location, and whether it's to do mob action, regardless of if he likes the term or not, illegal street takeovers with our vehicles or other activities that are criminal, people know to come here." "They know they can get away with it, and they know that oftentimes our police are handcuffed themselves from stopping and interceding at these events," he said. Lopez said that Chicago police officers are not allowed to "fully engage" with those participating in teen takeovers and do what's needed to stop them. "We've never done what it takes to authorize our officers to fully engage with these individuals, to box them in, to corral them so that they can't escape, to arrest them, to impound their vehicles like the law requires us to do," Lopez said. "And we have never really pursued who is behind the promotions of these events on social media. We know that they are spread online through Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and others, but yet we do almost nothing to find who is at the root of those posts of these gatherings." Lopez's remarks come after no arrests were made at a South Side street takeover over the weekend, underscoring his complaints about a lack of accountability for organizers. Video taken from Chicago's Gresham neighborhood over the weekend shows a large group of people surrounding a totaled car on fire, according to ABC 7 News. One individual was seen throwing an object into the car, engulfed in flames, which exploded seconds later. Related: Chicago: 2026-04-22 Alan Dershowitz leaves Democratic Party, calling it ‘most anti-Israel’ in US history; Rahm Emanuel proves it, NY Gov Kathy Hochul bucks trend Chicago: 2026-04-21 Car explodes during alleged street takeover on Chicago's South Side as city battles wave of incidents Chicago: 2026-04-20 US says it seized Iranian ship that tried to break blockade; Tehran vows to retaliate |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
| #4 |
| Posted by: mossomo 2026-04-23 14:05 |
| #3 |
| Posted by: Abu Uluque 2026-04-23 12:24 |
| #2 |
| Posted by: Abu Uluque 2026-04-23 12:23 |
| #1 |
| Posted by: Louie Lou 2026-04-23 11:47 |