Jul 4, 2009 6:00 pm US/Central
Taste of Chicago Unmarred by Violence So Far
Police Conduct Multiple Gun and Knife Arrests at Fest Friday
CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) ―
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(Photo by JEFF HAYNES/AFP/Getty Images)
This year's Taste of Chicago July 3 fireworks spectacular transpired relatively peacefully, viewed by 1.25 million people and unmarred by the shootings that took place last year.
Six people were arrested on charges of illegally carrying guns and two others face charges of illegally carrying knives at the Taste of Chicago and in Grant Park on Friday, authorities said.
Police said a 15-year-old boy was arrested with a shotgun after being spotted with it at Taste, while five other people were arrested outside the Taste grounds; a total of 31 people were arrested at Taste Friday, according to police. The five adults arrested on felony gun charges Friday appeared in Cook County Bond Court today.
In addition to those arrested with guns, there also were two people arrested on misdemeanor charges of illegally carrying knives, police said.
The majority of the 31 arrests were on charges of battery and reckless conduct, police spokesman Roderick Drew said in an e-mail this afternoon.
There were no incidents of shots fired inside the Taste.
One police sergeant was admitted to the hospital after passing out at the Taste and one bike officer was hurt responding to a call who received stitches to his leg, Drew said.
Drew said the flare-ups of fighting at the Taste were dealt with quickly.
"You always have incidences flare up at a gathering that large," Drew said. "The officers were quick to arrive on the scene whenever a problem was reported. All in all, the vast majority of people were there to relax, have some food and enjoy themselves. A few were there to cause trouble."
Drew said police are pleased with the outcome Friday night, considering the volatile nature of the crowd.
"There are always thing that you could have done better," Drew said, but did not elaborate. "We're going to sit down after the [Taste] and look at refining the plan."
Police News Affairs Officer Robert Perez also noted that police were able to catch all five of the adults arrested on gun charges outside the perimeter of the Taste.
All five of the adults appeared in Cook County Bond Court today. Four had bonds set at $100,000 by Judge Laura Sullivan.
The four who appeared in bond court and had their bonds set at $100,000 were: Catrice Winston, 34, of the 1400 block of West Morris in Berkeley, who was found with a .25-caliber handgun with 9 rounds; Dashawn Dandridge, 18, of the 400 block of West Rutledge in Park Forest, who was apprehended with a loaded .38-caliber handgun; Shawntel McPherson, 18, of 14800 block of Ellis Road in Dolton, who was caught with a loaded .38-calibre handgun; and Kyle Walker, 21, of the 9300 block of South Prairie Avenue, who also was arrested with a loaded gun. Daryl Stewart, 28, of the 3300 block of West Madison Street, also was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and appeared in bond court today after being caught with a loaded .22-caliber handgun, but his bond amount was not immediately available.
In what appears to have been the most serious arrest, a 15-year-old boy was caught with a loaded shotgun he had been trying to hide in a backpack, police said.
About 7:30 p.m., a police supervisor saw one group of young people exchanging gang signs with another, putting people in the area "in fear," said Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Robert Perez.
Among one of the two groups, the supervisor saw a teenage boy with a bulging packpack, police said. Officers saw the shotgun sticking out of the suspect's backpack and when the teenager saw police he started to run off. Police ran after him and arrested the suspect as he ran across Lake Shore Drive toward Lake Michigan, police said.
Hundreds of police officers had been scattered throughout Grant Park for the Taste of Chicago -- many of them on horses, Segways and all-terrain vehicles. Other officers with binoculars were stationed in a lookout tower standing about 50 or 60 feet over the crowd not far from Buckingham Fountain.
Some incidents were seen or reported. About 9:40 p.m., some 30 police officers had to break up a melee at Congress Parkway and Michigan Avenue as large crowds dispersed west out of Grant Park.
What started out as an altercation with a small group of people involved -- shoving, pushing, yelling -- within seconds became a larger fight with 10-20 people involved, according to a witness. Police quickly handled the disturbance. No one was hurt and Drew had no information about any charges.
About 8:30 p.m., police made a few arrests at the Taste following some sort of disturbance near Buckingham Fountain, Drew said Friday. He had no detailed information about that particular incident.
Supt. Jody Weis said the increased police visibility would deter trouble and draw more families.
And that's what appeared to be happening, city special events director Megan McDonald said. "We're seeing more strollers, we're seeing more senior citizens," she said.
Last year, four people were shot at the festivities, one fatally.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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