HYDE PARK — Police now say teens were involved in more serious crimes than egg throwing and fighting when 500 gathered in Hyde Park for Halloween, according to new reports released Tuesday afternoon.
Police reported groups of teens involved in robberies and beatings Monday evening, largely far away from the mass gathering of an estimated 500 teens near 53rd Street and Lake Park Avenue for a social media-fueled “Halloween Purge” of egg throwing, fighting and other mischief.
A 14-year-old girl was arrested for misdemeanor battery at 7 p.m. Monday night on the 4900 block of South Dorchester Avenue for stealing an entire bucket of Halloween candy and hitting a 44-year-old woman in the back of the head when she demanded the teen return the candy, police said.
The woman reported swelling, but denied medical attention, according to police.
The woman's husband, who asked not to be identified, said two girls stormed onto their porch.
"I don't know that they were trying to get into the house, but they were headed towards the door with some speed," the husband said.
He said he blocked the doorway, they stopped short for a second, and then knocked over two kids and grabbed the candy and whatever else they could off their porch and ran off.
He said when his wife ran down from the porch to confront them about taking the candy and when she turned back around, the 14-year-old girl hit her in the back of the head.
He said police showed up "literally instantly" and caught the two girls.
He said his wife is shaken up, but doing OK. He said their 2-year-old seems unfazed, but is worried about how their 9-year-old and 8-year-old friend who were also pushed over will process the incident.
He said the girls were part of a group of 50-70 kids that suddenly showed up on the block, jumping on cars and causing mischief, and then just as quickly left when the police arrived.
"It was like something out of a movie, it was surreal," the husband said. "All of sudden there was this huge number of kids on the street."
He said none of the kids came back after the police arrived.
Later in the evening a woman was beaten and robbed by a group of five people.
At 10:30 p.m., the group went up to a woman in the alley on the 1300 block of East 55th Street and punched her and took her cell phone and keys, according to University of Chicago police.
The woman was taken to the emergency room for treatment. Police did not provide information on her condition.
Police did not provide a description of the group, but neighbors said the group was mostly teenagers.
A group of five people again robbed two people at 10:45 p.m. on the 6000 block of South University Avenue taking their cellphones and a pair of glasses, according to university police.
University police said they tracked down the group and arrested two for robbery and recovered the stolen cell phone.
Police said early Tuesday that 10 teens were arrested between 9-10 p.m. on the 5200 block of Lake Park Avenue for mostly minor crimes, including reckless and disorderly conduct.
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