Chicago police officers Tuesday arrested an employee of the city’s police oversight agency in connection with the round of looting that led to violence, theft and property damage across the downtown area and other neighborhoods in August.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability confirmed the employee’s arrest, but noted that the person was released from custody without being charged with a crime.
A representative for the Cook County state’s attorney’s office said county prosecutors were “not asked by CPD to review this incident for felony charges nor was this individual charged by police with a misdemeanor.”
In a statement, COPA said it opened an internal review of the matter and “if misconduct has occurred, the employee will be held accountable.”
Officers in the CPD’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit arrested the COPA employee shortly before 8 a.m. in the 2900 block of South Michigan Avenue, according to CPD sources. The Office of the Inspector General was notified of the arrest shortly after it occurred.
The employee’s arrest was related to a burglary reported at the Macy’s store at 111 N. State St. that took place around 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 10, police sources said. Though the employee was not charged, that person was the second COPA employee to face arrest in the last two years.
Hundreds of people flocked to the downtown area that night to smash windows and steal property. Two people were shot and more than 100 people were arrested as crowds looted dozens of high-end shops from the South Loop to Lincoln Park.
It was the second time in four months that looting broke out in some of the city’s toniest neighborhoods.
The first round of looting took place during protests after George Floyd was killed at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.
Police and city officials initially blamed the second round of violence and widespread theft on “misinformation” that gained traction after a CPD officer shot a man in Englewood.
