7 People Arrested After 100-Person Street Fight On Northwest Side

By Anna Deem in News on Jan 31, 2010 7:30PM

Seven people were arrested and several police officers were injured during an early Saturday morning street fight involving more than 100 people near the 5600 block of West Grand Avenue on the Northwest Side. Police responded to a large disturbance around 1:45 a.m. and several officers sustained "non-life threatening injuries" while trying to break up the fight, police News Affairs Sgt. Antoinette Ursitti said to the Chicago Sun-Times.

A few of the suspects refused orders to stop fighting and proceeded to verbally and physically assault officers responding to the fight, Ursitti said. Police used tasers and pepper spray to quiet the crowd, she said. Thomas Kent, 18, of west suburban Maywood, was charged with felony aggravated battery to police, one misdemeanor count of reckless conduct, and three counts of resisting/obstructing a police officer.

Six other people all in their teens or early twenties were also charged with misdemeanors after the fight was broken up. Dishai Reed, 20, of west surburban Bellwood, and Keisha Lemon, 21, of the 700 block of N. Menard Ave., were both charged with reckless conduct. George Jernigan, 20, of the 1800 block of N. McVicker Ave., was charged with reckless conduct, three counts of resisting/obstructing, and battery. Jeremy Reed, 18, of the 5700 block of W. Ohio St., and Aramie Kent, 20, of the 2100 block of S. 11th Place, were both charged with reckless conduct and two counts of resisting/obstructing a police officer. Orlando Edwards, 21, of the 5700 block of W. Ohio St., was charged with reckless conduct, battery, and two counts of resisting/obstructing a police officer. Bond information for Thomas Kent was not immediately available.