A Chicago college football player says a wild "teen takeover" at Douglass Park turned into a nightmare when officers allegedly beat and arrested him as he tried to pull his 16-year-old brother out of the chaos. He was taken into custody on scene and now faces aggravated-battery-to-a-peace-officer and resisting-or-obstructing charges. He is scheduled to return to court on July 13.
Video and police account
Cell phone video obtained by FOX 32 Chicago appears to show at least six officers surrounding a man in the 1300 block of South Fairfield Avenue as police tried to break up the crowd. Officers told reporters that fireworks were being launched toward them and said several people were hurt before the area was finally cleared and multiple arrests were made, according to FOX 32 Chicago.
Player's account and background
Quotangelo Temples, who appears in local high school athletic profiles and college recruitment listings, tells a very different story. He says he waded into the crowd for one reason only: to grab his younger brother and get out. Temples insists he never struck any officer. "I was just trying to get my little brother out of there," Temples told FOX 32 Chicago. His high school athletic profile is listed on MaxPreps.
Where it happened
The incident unfolded near the 1300 block of South Fairfield Avenue inside Douglass (Anna and Frederick) Park on the West Side, a 162-acre regional park that frequently hosts big neighborhood gatherings. The park’s official listing puts its main address at 1401 S. Sacramento Dr., according to the Chicago Park District.
Teen takeovers and city response
The confrontation is the latest flashpoint in a run of social-media-fueled "teen takeovers" that have swept Chicago this summer, prompting beefed-up patrols and preemptive closures at lakefront beaches and parks. City officials have even tried blocking access in advance of rumored gatherings. Those moves, and earlier flare-ups, have been tracked by local outlets, including coverage of one crackdown where police locked down a South Side beach and the widely hyped gathering fizzled; see Teen takeover hype fizzles for recent local reporting.
What happens next
Temples is due back in Cook County court on July 13 as prosecutors review the case, and he says he is determined to clear his name. Video from the scene and witness accounts are expected to play a central role as the case moves through the legal system.
