Federal agents fire tear gas during standoff with crowd in East Side, Chicago, then drive away
By Sara Tenenbaum, Chris Tye, Sara Machi
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CHICAGO (WBBM) — Federal agents fired tear gas to disperse a crowd during a tense standoff on Chicago’s far South Side Tuesday afternoon, before driving away from the confrontation.
The incident happened near 105h and Avenue N in the city’s East Side neighborhood, near the Indiana border.
State Senator Robert Peters, who represents Illinois’ 13th District and is running for Congress in this district, initially posted about the developing situation around 11:30 a.m., writing, “All eyes on the East Side right now! ICE cannot just come into our communities and wreak havoc like this. My staff are on the ground and we will update residents as the situation evolves.”
“I’m in Springfield but my staff are on site at 105th and Avenue N. ICE behavior is unacceptable,” he posted a little less than half an hour later. “And if we know one thing about East Siders, it’s that they don’t tolerate this kind of b——t.”
What exactly led to the incident was not immediately clear, though there appeared to be an aftermath of a car crash in the area where the agents and crowd were gathered. CBS Skywatch was over the scene as agents appeared to take at least one person into custody, handcuffing them.
As of 12:30 p.m., there appeared to be a crowd of about 50 to 75 people and a couple dozen officers. Several high-ranking Chicago police officers, identifiable by their white shirts, were also at the scene.
Around 12:40 p.m. the agents deployed some sort of chemical agent or smoke bomb, sending the crowd scattering and giving the federal agents an opportunity to leave the area. CBS News Chicago reporter Sara Machi had just arrived at the scene and said the canisters that were deployed appeared to be tear gas, and the dispersal of the agent downwind and throughout the crowd sent most people scattering from the area.
Chicago police remained at the scene, without the gas masks that federal agents had equipped before firing the tear gas, continuing to disperse the crowd after the tear gas was fired. Machi said she saw people throwing up, spitting and trying to get pepper spray and tear gas out of their eyes in the aftermath.
She said people gathered at a nearby AutoZone, providing eye rinse, towels and water. Machi said there were at least 10 people in the building alone.
Former Chicago police superintendent Garry McCarthy told CBS News Chicago that based on the uniforms the agents are wearing, which are full camouflage, he thinks they are likely Customs and Border Protection agents. He also said that based on what he’s seen today and in recent weeks, he doesn’t think the federal agents are appropriately trained in crowd control, especially compared to Chicago police.
“There’s a lot of problems I’m seeing from the way that federal authorities are handling this, and it was a different story when you saw the Illinois State Police come into Broadview, along with the Cook County Sheriff’s officers,” McCarthy said. “They were very controlled, they were in a line, they were not scattered all over the place, yo didn’t see pepper balls being fired and tear gas being thrown. They have a lot to learn, let’s put it that way, and they should be relying on local police to do that.”
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling has said tear gas deployed by federal agents in other situations have affected CPD officers.
State Senator Elgie Sims, who represents Illinois’ 17th District, which encompasses East Side, released a statement saying, “I am monitoring the situation between federal agents and bystanders in my district. Using a chemical agent to disperse a crowd is unjust. No person should be targeted by the color of their skin and no group should be attacked for standing up for what is right. Let me be clear: Now is not the time for hate and divisiveness. Now is the time to stand united as a community and to protect our neighbors.”
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