President Trump slammed Chicago’s “terrible” Democratic leadership and called for federal intervention after an 18-year-old allegedly struck five police officers during a chaotic “teen takeover” over Memorial Day Weekend.
Trump blamed Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson as Rashad Johnson, 18, was charged with attempted murder for striking the group of Chicago’s finest who were patrolling South Loomis Street early Sunday morning.
“Teen takeover in Chicago. Five officers badly hurt. Mayor and Governor are terrible. Should call for help!” Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday afternoon.
Hundreds of teens had flooded onto the street in Chicago’s West Side late Saturday night into Sunday morning, and quickly turned violent – mirroring similar scenes of the viral “takeover” trend that has plagued cities across the country.
Johnson is accused of slamming the five officers who were in the area attempting to stop the illegal gathering.
Johnson, who is from Plainfield, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, ended up finally jumping the curb and crashing into a police car, pole and fence, authorities said.
He was arrested just after 3:20 a.m. and charged with five counts of attempted murder and five counts of aggravated battery, along with weapons charges and criminal damage.
The five officers were transported to the hospital in good condition, according to the Chicago Police Department.
Several “teen takeovers” erupted around Chicago early Sunday morning, with police making 53 arrests at one gathering in nearby Hyde Park, according to CBS Chicago.
Twenty-one of the arrests, including 10 juveniles, were for disorderly conduct.
Additional charges were for various misdemeanors, including reckless conduct, resisting, criminal trespassing and battery.
The ages of the arrested individuals ranged from 13 to 28, according to the outlet.
Mayor Johnson celebrated that his city saw zero homicides, despite a whopping 37 people being shot during multiple shootings over the violent weekend.
“Republicans need to stop capitalizing on pain and fear to distract from their failing economy and the consequences of their forever wars,” Johnson wrote on X.
“Here in Chicago, we’re focused on investing in our youth and strengthening our communities. While there is still more work to do, we are encouraged by a Memorial Day weekend that saw zero homicides,” he added.
The mayor had previously pinned the blame for the illegal takeovers on both the teens and their parents for not holding their children accountable for their actions.
“Unauthorized large gatherings can quickly become dangerous, and early this morning, after curfew hours, we saw that firsthand,” Johnson wrote. “I continue to call on parents and guardians to know where their children are and to help ensure they are safe and accounted for. There also must be accountability for the individuals who participated in the violent and reckless behavior.”
Trump didn’t specify the assistance he would provide the Windy City, but had threatened to deploy the National Guard to the area over the past year.
Trump’s justification for the attempted troop deployment to the Windy City used a law that permits the president to take over the National Guard if he isn’t able to execute the law with “regular forces.”
The commander in chief has clashed with the Chicago city hall and the Illinois statehouse, with Pritzker calling Trump a “wannabe dictator,” claiming the president was “threatening to go to war with an American city.”
The Supreme Court had rejected Trump’s bid to deploy the National Guard in December, stating the federal government had “failed to identify a source of authority that would allow the military to execute the laws in Illinois.”
Trump followed the Supreme Court’s ruling and pulled the troops out of Chicago, along with Portland, Oregon and Los Angeles, but warned it was a temporary setback.
“Portland, Los Angeles, and Chicago were GONE if it weren’t for the Federal Government stepping in,” the president argued back on New Year’s Eve. “We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again – Only a question of time!
“It is hard to believe that these Democrat Mayors and Governors, all of whom are greatly incompetent, would want us to leave, especially considering the great progress that has been made???”
