Multiple men were detained after a fight broke out between a group of men and officers in Chicago. The altercation turned violent when the group began assaulting a lone policeman at the 69th Street Red Line station, reports.
The video, which has since gone viral, shows the officer attempting to manage a heated confrontation alone. Within seconds, the situation escalates as one man swings at him and another pushes him.
A third man sends the officer staggering into a stopped train after he punches him. The policeman ultimately falls to the ground. After being pummelled, the policeman eventually escaped when reinforcements, including K9 units, arrived on the scene.
The footage obtained by Moon 10 shows later that day when other officers are present. In the video, which is over 3 minutes long, a man throws a trash can at a K9 handler’s dog while others join in a violent scuffle. Officers attempt to de-escalate the dispute, but tensions continue to rise.
One man among the group repeatedly swings at the officer with the service dog, but the policeman dodges each time. Eventually, the pair launches into a fistfight, and others surrounding them intervene. The chaotic scene continues with even the dog pouncing on a man and attacking him as several people fight the officer.
This attack happened after police recently installed the Strategic Decision Support Centre, a technology designed to allow embedded officers and detectives to monitor live camera feeds from across the city’s transit system. The centre aims to catch crime as it happens, which it did.
Following the brawl, three people were taken into custody. Among those arrested was 23-year-old Dievion Richardson, charged with aggravated battery and drug possession. According to CPD, the transit monitoring centre played a crucial role in tracking and apprehending at least one suspect, who was later found on a bus.
