CHICAGO (WLS) — On Tuesday, thousands gathered in downtown Chicago to protest the arrests conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement across the country. During the protest, tensions rose when a vehicle unexpectedly drove through the crowd, injuring at least one individual.
There was also some vandalism reported, and Chicago police said at least 17 people were arrested.
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A 66-year-old woman from Chicago, who was among the injured, recounted being at the back of the protest with her husband when they noticed the approaching vehicle.
In a matter of seconds, she says she was on the ground, dazed.
“I was feeling pain in my arm and just like ‘what happened?'” Heather Blair said.
As a result of the incident, Blair suffered facial scrapes and had to wear a sling on her left arm. She described the chaos as the car rushed through the assembly of anti-ICE protestors in the Loop.
“If a car is upset with a crowd. They usually go slowly and honk, right? They don’t accelerate,” Blair said.
Blair says she and her husband were part of the thousands of people packing the Loop Tuesday night, voicing their anger and frustration with ICE raids locally and across the country.
She says the demonstration felt different than previous protests she says she joined.
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“It seemed high energy and maybe kind of tense,” Blair said. “We kind of hung back at the back of the crowd.”
Blair says she and her husband were walking in the street with other demonstrators around 6:20 p.m., when she said she saw a red car accelerating toward them.
She says in those frantic moments near Wabash Avenue and Monroe Street she doesn’t remember if she was actually hit by the car or fell over in the pandemonium of the moment.
“The next thing I know, people are carrying me to the sidewalk and calling an ambulance,” Blair said.
Blair said the Chicago Fire Department took her to nearby Northwestern Memorial Hospital in an ambulance for treatment.
“They put me in a collar because I struck my head; so, they wanted to make sure my spine and brain were OK,” Blair said.
Blair says she fractured her left arm in the chaos.
She said she planned to demonstrate again this weekend, but doesn’t know if she is going to be able to.
Chicago police did not immediately provide additional information about the driver in question.
17 arrested in Chicago protest
Chicago police confirmed that multiple people were arrested amid anti-ICE protests in the Loops.
Four people were charged with felonies, they are due in court on Wednesday.
Nathan Sol, 20, Yony Salgado, 33, Johnathan Ellison, 37 were all charged with aggravated battery of a peace officer.
Asnat Berestizhevsky, 27, was charged with criminal damage to government property, a misdemeanor, and one citation for resisting a police officer.
Police said charges were pending for two people.
Ten other people were charges with misdemeanors, mostly for reckless conduct.
One person was issued a citation for possession of paint with intent to deface.
Larger-scale ICE raids possible
The city is preparing for the potential of large-scale immigration raids in Chicago, including visits from ICE special response teams.
The mayor’s chief of staff also said these raids could include tactics carried out last week in Los Angeles that led to the violent protests there.
More protests expected
The city is preparing for everything on Saturday. Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Police Department said the city has plenty of experience in handling larger protests.
Large crowds are expected to descend into downtown Chicago this weekend for protests against the Trump administration.
That protest is planned for noon on Saturday at Daley Plaza.
“The first and foremost goal and our responsibility is to keep everyone safe and to protect the rights of the people of this city and around the country. And so, constitutional policing is our becoming form of leadership, and we will continue to ensure that constitutional policing is carried out,” Johnson said Wednesday.
The city is preparing additional police resources, as Tuesday’s protest did have some scuffles.
The organizers of Saturday’s protest are preparing, with safety training for their marshals, while also working with Chicago police to keep everyone safe.
“We do so with a commitment to the principles of non-violence, peaceful protest, and letting people express their First Amendment rights to their government,” said Bill Mengebier, a board member with Indivisible Chicago. “We will have our trained safety marshals there; there will be some security people there, as well.”
Security experts expect some barricades and snow plows around the area of the protest to avoid any issues like the vehicle driving through.
There was an amplified presence of lawyers and volunteers in the South Loop Wednesday, making sure people are coming and going from their immigration check-ins without any issue.
Last week, several were taken into custody after believing they were going to a routine check-in.
Similar protests have happened in Los Angeles over the last several days, as ICE raids have been met with tensions there.
It’s led the Trump administration to send in the National Guard and the U.S. Marines.
Chicago police said in a statement: “The Chicago Police Department will always work to protect those exercising their First Amendment Rights. With public safety as our top priority, our planning and training for First Amendment assemblies are rooted in constitutional policing and the safety of all those participating, working and living in the affected areas.
“CPD has had significant experience handling and successfully securing large demonstrations throughout the past few years, including those related to the war in Gaza and the 2024 Democratic National Convention. We will continue to do the same with all future large-scale demonstrations. As we protect these assemblies, we will not tolerate any criminal activity or violence. Those in violation of the law will be held accountable.”
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