Police Shoot, Injure Teen Who Swung Board at Officer

Teen said he is a lacrosse player and "knows how to swing," police said

Chicago Police early Friday shot and injured a teen who officers said tried to fight them with a wooden board because he didn't want to get in trouble for leaving home after curfew.

The shooting happened around 12:30 a.m. on the 4400 block of North Mulligan in the Portage Park neighborhood, police said. Officers noticed three teens hanging out in an alley and asked them for identification, suspecting they were breaking curfew.

"He didn't want to be talking to the police because he was out partying with his friends when he should be hope with his sister," Fraternal Order of Police Spokesman Patrick Camden said.

One of the teens ran off and tried to jump a fence, police said in a statement. He grabbed a four-foot wooden board from the fence and started waving it at an officer, saying he is a lacrosse player and "knows how to swing," Camden said.

The officer ordered the teen to drop the board, and the teen continued to advance, police said.

The officer opened fire and struck the teen twice. The injuries are non-life-threatening, and the teen is in good condition at Illinois Masonic Medical Center.

The incident is under investigation by the Independent Police Review Authority.

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