Civilian panel investigates video of CPD officer pointing gun at street takeover spectators
Police oversight officials are investigating video posted online that appears to show an officer pointing a weapon at spectators during a street takeover early Monday in West Lawn.
The video appears to show the officer, who is sitting on the passenger side of a prisoner transport vehicle, shouting at people watching a vehicle stunt driving at an intersection. As the police vehicle attempts to drive through the intersection, the officer is seen waving the gun out the window and appears to point it at some people in the crowd while yelling at them.
Officers had responded to the area about 12:30 a.m. on reports of drag-racing in the 5900 block of South Pulaski Road, police said. No arrests were made during the incident.
A spokesperson for the Civilian Office of Police Accountability said the agency was notified of the incident by the Chicago Police Department's Bureau of Internal Affairs and is investigating. The police department is also conducting its own investigation.
The stunt-driving meetups, known as street takeovers, have been popping up in the city for years and can draw crowds of hundreds. Residents have raised alarms about the noise and property damage these gatherings can cause.
In July 2022, the City Council passed an ordinance aimed at addressing “street takeovers.” The ordinance, which empowered Chicago police to impound vehicles involved in these events, was a response to highly publicized meetups in the West Loop and other areas of the city, some of which led to clashes with officers and one that resulted in a deadly shootout in Brighton Park.
It is unclear whether the ordinance has deterred drivers, as one McKinley Park resident reported dozens of drifting events on her corner in the last year. That resident said she saw officers taking down license plate numbers, yet she continued to see the same vehicles and drivers return each weekend.