a day ago
Matteson man charged with impersonating police officer during ICE protest in Chicago
Man in custody for impersonating officer while carrying weapon during Chicago ICE protest
Man in custody for impersonating officer while carrying weapon during Chicago ICE protest
Man in custody for impersonating officer while carrying weapon during Chicago ICE protest
A man was charged with impersonating a police officer during Thursday's ICE protest in downtown Chicago.
Willie Mathews Jr., 21, of Matteson, Illinois, is facing felony charges including false personation of a police officer with a weapon, aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon, and forgery.
Chicago police said officers were on patrol Thursday around 5 p.m. in the 200 block of South Michigan Avenue when they received a radio call about a suspicious man wearing "police identifiers."
Police sources said the 21-year-old man [Mathews] was wearing a black polo shirt with the word "police" on the back and a black bag with a police patch on it. However, he wasn't an officer and could not provide valid police credentials.
Police sources also said he was openly carrying a loaded semi-automatic pistol. The man has a FOID card, but told police he did not have a concealed carry license.
He also had badges and documents saying he was part of a "special police team" at the time of his arrest.
He is expected to appear at a detention hearing on Sunday.
The video above is from a previous report.
