McCarthy Defends Police Response To Montrose Beach Melee

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jul 15, 2014 2:15PM

Efrain Saucedo (left) and Emmanuel Lopez face felony aggravated battery charges. (Chicago Police Department photos)

Four suburban men and a Chicago teen were charged in Sunday’s mini-riot that broke out at a concert without permits at Montrose Beach that injured four police officers.

Efrain Saucedo 23, and Emmanuel Lopez, 19, both from Aurora, were charged with felony aggravated battery in the melee. Chicago police said the two were spotted throwing bottles that injured two police officers. A 22-year-old man from Aurora and a 19-year-old from Summit face misdemeanor aggravated assault charges and a 17-year-old teen from Chicago was charged as a juvenile with misdemeanor mob action and felony criminal damage to property.

The riot broke out during the “Tamborazo Beach Party” along the 4500 block of North Simonds Drive. The bands performing at the concert had no permits to play there, there was no security and concertgoers were drinking throughout the day. When police responded to reports of fights at the concert the crowd began throwing bottles and other debris at them. Reinforcements were called in from as west as O’Hare Airport and as far south as 31st Street to help restore order. A squad car suffered damage from bottles thrown at it.

Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy defended the police response and ongoing questions about staffing in the Police Department. McCarthy, who set up another news conference to show how CPD is taking illegal guns off the streets, grew frustrated by repeated questions about the fracas at Montrose Beach.

“I'm trying to tell you all about gun violence here in the city, which is our number one thing,” McCarthy said at the Grand Crossing district station on the South Side. “We had people who died over the weekend, and a disturbance at a park is something that we'll fix moving forward, no two ways about it. But we have a problem here, and I'd like to bring attention to it.”

Ald. James Cappleman (46th), whose ward includes Montrose Beach, wondered if the easier access to free parking there was a contributing factor in the melee.

“Look at Oak Street Beach. Do you see this many parking spots there? Look at Lincoln Park. There just aren't this many parking spots in such a concentrated area in other parts of the city,” Cappleman said. “I want the Park District and the police department to come up with a plan to discourage that many people from driving down there and parking.”