2 days ago
17 arrested at Chicago ICE protest in the Loop Tuesday, police say
Seventeen people were arrested at the Chicago ICE protest that drew thousands of people into the Loop Tuesday at the height of rush hour. Four of them face felony charges.
Mayor Brandon Johnson spoke Wednesday afternoon about the city's response to the protest and their plan for the weekend, as downtown is expecting tens of thousands of people to attend the "No Kings" protest in Daley Plaza Saturday.
The immigration protest began with a rally in Federal Plaza around 5 p.m. The hundreds in attendance quickly swelled to thousands as they left the plaza and took to the streets, marching around the Loop and blocking traffic.
Police clashed with protesters at certain points, but the demonstration remained largely peaceful. A car also sped through the crowd early on, striking and injuring a woman and narrowly missing other demonstrators. The woman is expected to recover.
Some police squad cars were defaced with graffiti during the protest as well.
Wednesday, Chicago police said a total of 17 arrests were made at the protest, largely for minor charges. One person was cited for possession of a paint or a marker with intent to deface. Ten others are facing various misdemeanors including misdemeanor battery, reckless conduct and resisting and officer. Charges are still pending against two people, police said.
Four people are facing felony charges. Nathan Sol, 20, is charged with two counts of aggravated battery to a peace officer; Yony Salgado, 3, is charged with one count of aggravated battery to a peace officer; Jonathan Ellison, 37, is charged with one count of aggravated battery to a peace officer; and Asnat Berestizhevsky, 27, is charged with one felony count of criminal damage to government property of more than $500, as well as a misdemeanor and a citation.
The protest began to thin after about 7:30 p.m., but a group of marchers broke off into River North while other groups continued to march around the Loop well past sunset. Protesters returned to Daley Plaza around 7:45 p.m., then left a little after 8 p.m. and briefly clashed with police who had surrounded the Macy's flagship store at State and Washington.
They then set off around the Loop again. Some protesters surrounded a van near Dearborn and Jackson, setting off a momentary skirmish with officers, and then around 10 p.m. they made their way to Maggie Daley park before marching around the Loop once more.
A small contingent of protesters remained on the streets by 10:45 p.m. but the protest ended overnight.
The protest led to the suspension of CTA bus service in downtown Chicago until the late hours of the night, but CTA buses had resumed normal operations by Wednesday morning.
Police did not release any details about when those arrested during the protest would appear in court.
