4 arrested in second night of Laquan McDonald protests
CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) - Four protesters were arrested Wednesday in the second night of demonstrations ignited by the release of dash-cam footage of Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke fatally shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.
Chicago residents Max McKune and Omari Ferrell, both 18, each face one misdemeanor count of resisting a police officer. Natalie Wahlberg, a 33-year-old from Cedar Lake, Ind., was charged with damaging public property; and Jacqueline Spreadbury, a 26-year-old from Chicago, faces two counts each of misdemeanor battery and resisting a police officer.
All were due in bond court Thursday.
About 300 people marched in groups through River North and the Loop between 4:30 p.m. until after midnight in protests that followed the release of four more dash-cam vantage points from the scene of the Southwest Side shooting last October.
Four people were arrested in the first round of protests Tuesday night.
In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, the police department said it “is committed to protecting people’s first amendment rights and our officers have upheld that commitment with honor both Tuesday and Wednesday.
“The vast majority of those who have chosen to express themselves this week have done so peacefully, however we will not tolerate illegal activity and as a result last night four individuals were arrested,” the statement said.
The Rainbow PUSH Coalition and other groups have planned protests to start at 11 a.m. Friday on the Magnificent Mile.