At Least 5 Arrested In Post-Blackhawks' Stanley Cup Win Revelry
By Rachel Cromidas in News on Jun 16, 2015 4:30PM
Amid a sea of Blackhawks fans who poured into the streets of Wrigleyville and several other neighborhoods to celebrate the Stanley Cup victory, the seemingly inevitable crop of troublemakers were out in force, too.
The Chicago Police Department made at least five arrests last night in connection with the revelry, the Tribune reported, with at least one person who appeared to have resisted arrest after climbing up a traffic pole, and one who appeared to have wrapped his hands around an officer's neck in a chokehold—a felony offense.
Police shut down access to Clark Street around Wrigley Field after the win, and a police helicopter and police officers on horseback and bicycles could be seen patrolling the area. But still, some Blackhawks jersey-clad fans were brazenly law-breaking in their reverie, climbing traffic lights near Clark and Addison streets and lighting fireworks, the Tribune reported. One man even leapt from a pole into the arms of fans below him and crowd-surfed the impromptu block party.
At least five people were arrested overnight during the celebrations, but the police department have yet to provide more precise numbers. Two of them were arrested around 11:15 p.m. Monday night after a man climbed up a traffic light at Newport Avenue and allegedly resisted arrest when a group of officers confronted him. An officer tackled him, according to reports, when a second man put his hands around the arresting officer's throat.
The Tribune also reported that some fans were destructive and smashed the windows of a police SUV west of Wrigley Field. In 2013 overzealous fans smashed the windows of several storefronts in Lakeview and Lincoln Park.
A child was also seen bleeding from the head in Wrigleyville after being struck by a bottle.
And on a lighter, but still not exactly law-abiding note, about 150 fans in suburban Hinsdale reportedly took part in the odd tradition of toilet-papering Coach Joel Quenneville's house.
Watch one Hawks fan struggle, but succeed, in climbing down from a traffic light:
This guy climbed down successfully pic.twitter.com/KoIy0qKbpp
— Peter Nickeas (@PeterNickeas) June 16, 2015