Chicago police officer hospitalized after suspect allegedly hit him with brass knuckles
Two repeat offenders brutally beat CPD officer: police
A Chicago police officer was brutally attacked by a man with a long rap sheet and brass knuckles. Joanie Lum joins us live from the southwest side to get into what happened and the rap sheets of the suspects.
CHICAGO - A Chicago police officer suffered severe facial injuries after authorities said a registered sex offender attacked him with brass knuckles during an assault on the Southwest Side.
Chicago police officers attacked
What we know:
Officers were called around 9:20 p.m. to the 1600 block of West 37th Street for a report of an assault in the McKinley Park neighborhood.
After they arrived, 30-year-old Monica Mejia allegedly tried to damage a CPD vehicle. Mejia and 33-year-old Michael Sopher then allegedly began to attack responding officers.
Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) said Sopher used brass knuckles to seriously injure Officer Kevin Mangan.
"With the number of blows to his head & face, Kevin is lucky to be alive. However, he will need reconstructive oral surgery having had all his teeth either knocked out or impacted inward," Lopez wrote on X.
Mejia and Sopher were taken into custody while Mangan was hospitalized.
Mejia was charged with two felony counts of aggravated battery of a peace officer and one misdemeanor count of attempted criminal damage to property.
Sopher was charged with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm to a peace officer, felon in possession of a weapon and violating the sex offender registry.
Both suspects have detention hearings scheduled for Thursday.
The backstory:
Police responded May 19 to an unrelated incident in the 3700 block of South Marshfield Avenue, according to court documents. When officers arrived, they saw an ambulance at the scene. Mejia allegedly drove her car behind a police squad car, blocking it in and preventing the ambulance from transporting a patient.
Authorities said Mejia, Sopher and two other people got out of the car and walked away. When an officer attempted to issue Mejia a citation, she returned to the vehicle and allegedly became involved in a verbal altercation with the officer. Court documents allege she also blocked the vehicle identification number on her car.
Officers then returned to their squad cars in an attempt to leave, but Mejia allegedly approached Officer Mangan’s vehicle and struck the window with her hands, according to court documents.
Sopher then approached Mejia and another officer. Court documents allege Mejia placed her hand on Officer Mangan’s face, prompting him to push her away. Mejia allegedly struck his hand and hit the left side of his body.
Another officer attempted to intervene, but Mejia allegedly tried to strike that officer and hit the side of the officer’s body. She also allegedly attempted to grab the officer’s radio strap.
According to court documents, Sopher then intervened and repeatedly punched Officer Mangan in the face, causing him to fall to the ground. Sopher allegedly climbed on top of the officer and continued punching him, knocking out or loosening several of his teeth. Officers eventually pulled Sopher off Mangan.
Officer Mangan was taken to Stroger Hospital. Court documents said he is expected to be unable to chew solid food for several months because of his injuries.
Police said they found black brass knuckles in Sopher’s pocket.
What they're saying:
The officer’s mother, Carol Mangan, said, "This is pure agony for me. I feel really happy that justice for once was served with these two career criminals, and that they were detained and not let out electronic monitoring."
"The gentleman that punched Kevin so violently is a five-time felon," 15th Ward Alderman Raymond Lopez said. "His sister, his codefendant, has a history of attacking law enforcement, and yet both were walking around free as if they don't have a care in the world."
Rap sheets
Dig deeper:
Sopher registered as a sex offender after he was found guilty of predatory criminal sexual assault of a 5-year-old when he was 18.
According to court documents, he is not compliant with the registered sex offender list as he should have registered on May 6, but had not done so by the time of the incident.
Sopher has been arrested in Chicago at least five times since 2021, including on charges of domestic battery and burglary.
Mejia was last arrested in March 2024 on charges of domestic battery and aggravated assault/use of a deadly weapon.
The Source: The information in this report came from the Chicago Police Department and Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th).