64 Arrested In Day Of Raids Targeting South Side Gangs
By Mae Rice in News on Apr 8, 2016 9:15PM
Thursday and early Friday morning, Chicago Police made a series of raids targeting South Side gangs that resulted in 64 arrests. Police also recovered four guns during the raids, which took place in the Englewood, Deering, and Chicago Lawn police districts, according to WGN.
Fifty of the arrests were for felony narcotics charges, WGN reports. Three people arrested were also charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, four with prostitution, and 14 with misdemeanors.
Ordered by Interim Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson, the all-day "mission” was “aimed at reducing the crime and violence in our communities,” Johnson said in a statement. This is likely an allusion to the recent spike in homicides in Chicago. In the first quarter of 2016, as we recently reported, Chicago's homicide count was higher than it had been since 1999.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel named Johnson interim chief of the Chicago Police Department in late March, after turning all three finalists the Chicago Police Board selected for the role.