NEAR WEST SIDE — Five police officers were injured after being struck by a car while respond to a large gathering of teens Sunday at a Near West Side intersection, Chicago police said.

At about 3:20 a.m. Sunday, officers were dispersing a large teen gathering near the intersection of West Roosevelt Road and South Loomis Street when a blue car slammed into a group of officers, injuring five, police said. The car came to a stop after hitting a fence, pole and a police car.

The five officers were listed in fair condition, police said.

Rashad Johnson, 18, was arrested at the scene and charged with five felony counts of attempted murder as well as aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon and other felony charges, police announced Monday. Johnson, of southwest suburban Plainfield, is due in court Monday.

It is unclear whether or not Johnson was involved with the teen gathering, which spiraled out of control after hundreds of teens crowded the intersection for a late night prom celebration near the Brooks Homes, a public housing complex located near where the gathering took place, ABC-7 reported.

Citizen app footage shows hundreds of teenagers crowding the intersection of Loomis Street and Roosevelt Road, where an 18-year-old driver hit five Chicago Police Officers with his car on May 24, 2026. Credit: ABC-7/Citizen App

‘These Kids Lack Discipline’

Video from immediately after the incident shows a huge police presence at the Near West Side intersection, with police dragging someone away from near the damaged blue car and other officers rendering aid to their injured colleagues.

A 19-year-old man was shot in his leg around 3:50 a.m. Sunday in an alley near Roosevelt Road and Loomis Street, though it is unclear if the shooting was connected to the teen gathering, police said.

Jeff, who preferred not to share his last name for safety reasons, said that his teenage nephew traveled from the South Side to Sunday’s gathering after hearing about it on social media.

“He’s lucky I didn’t beat his a—,” he said jokingly. “He could’ve been an innocent bystander. I’m glad he was safe. People just hear about these parties online and start crowding. It’s because these kids lack discipline. They just think they can do anything they want.”

Security officers around the Brooks Homes failed to control the crowd, Jeff said.

Dot, a local rapper in the neighborhood who also preferred not to share his government name, said that the party got out of hand quickly as word spread over social media. As he was making his way home early Sunday, Roosevelt Road was blocked off with what “looked like 1,000 kids in the street,” he said.

“As the cops broke it up, people just kept moving to different areas and it got more chaotic,” he said. “They were on all sides of this area. Some of them near the gas station (at Roosevelt and Ashland Avenue) and some of them by the new apartments at the intersection.”

Latest ‘Teen Takeover’

In a Facebook post, Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th) was quick to call the gathering a “teen takeover,” the name given to large gatherings of youth that have at times led to violence and sparked heated discussions over how to address the issue.

But Ald. Jason Ervin (28th), who represents the area where the incident took place, told ABC-7 that the circumstances surrounding Sunday’s after-prom party were different from usual teen takeovers that are planned in advance.

“Normally we do not have problems in the Brooks Homes for Memorial Day, and so this caught a lot of people off-guard, what transpired last night,” Ervin told ABC-7.

Mayor Brandon Johnson condemned such “unauthorized large gatherings” in a social media statement Sunday. Johnson has advocated for parental responsibility while fighting efforts by City Council to enact a a controversial “snap curfew” policy to allow police to disperse such crowds.

City Council last year passed a snap curfew ordinance that would allow police to issue a youth curfew with as little as 30 minutes’ notice, but Johnson vetoed the measure. A compromise plan was eventually reached by aldermen and Johnson’s office that would codify existing police powers to disperse groups of youth.

“I continue to call on parents and guardians to know where their children are and to help ensure they are safe and accounted for,” Johnson said in a statement. “There also must be accountability for the individuals who participated in the violent and reckless behavior. My administration is creating opportunities and safe spaces for young people, but families, communities, and city leaders all have a role to play in keeping our young people safe.”