15-year-old boy shot, CTA bus driver beaten, two cops injured as police respond to large group of youths downtown Saturday night

A 15-year-old boy was shot, a CTA bus driver was beaten and two cops were injured as police responded to a large group of youths in downtown Chicago Saturday night.

Police said they arrested at least 22 juveniles and recovered two “replica firearms.”

The chaotic scene happened in the middle of a weekend that saw nine people killed and nearly two dozen others wounded in gun violence across Chicago.

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As officers were containing the crowds Saturday evening, a 15-year-old boy was shot about 11:20 p.m. in the 200 block of North Wabash Avenue, police said. He had bumped into someone walking in the opposite direction and they began arguing, police said. The boy was shot in the arm and taken to Lurie Children’s Hospital in good condition.

No one was in custody for the shooting.

Less than three hours earlier, a CTA bus driver was beaten in the Loop, allegedly by a 15-year-old boy. The driver, 49, got out of his bus to inspect for damage after hearing a loud noise in the 100 block of North Michigan Avenue about 9 p.m., police said. He was pushed and repeatedly punched by two people.

He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital with bruises to his face and body, police said, and was listed in fair condition.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested moments later and charged with a felony count of aggravated battery to a transit employee, police said.

Two police officers were also injured while responding to incidents in the Loop Saturday night. One officer’s arm was broken, the other officer’s injuries were unknown. Police released no other details about how they were hurt.

At least 22 minors were arrested in the downtown area Saturday night. Nine of them were charged with violating curfew. Police said they recovered two “replica firearms.”

The police department issued a statement Sunday saying it “had sufficient resources deployed to manage the crowd and ensure public safety. Street outreach workers coordinated efforts with police.”

Weekend gun violence

Nine people were killed and 23 others were wounded by gunfire across the city over the weekend.

• The weekend’s first homicide was a man gunned down Friday evening on the Lower West Side. Michael Hernandez-Lagunas, 28, was shot several times while sitting in a vehicle around 6:20 p.m. in the 2300 block of West 23rd Place, police said. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital and pronounced dead.
• A few hours later, a woman was shot inside a building in South Shore. The 27-year-old was shot in the head by someone in a hallway in the 7100 block of South Ridgeland Avenue around 8:20 p.m. Friday, police said. She was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.
• Around 8:30 p.m. Friday, a man was fatally shot outside a home in West Chatham. Lynnez Patterson, 44, was arguing with a male acquaintance on his porch about 8:25 p.m. Friday in the first block of 78th Place, authorities said. The acquaintance then shot the man several times, striking him in the torso and head, police said. He died at Stroger Hospital.

Saturday homicides

• Early Saturday, a teenager was fatally shot in Back of the Yards. Anthony Fabs 19, was shot by someone in a black car as he walked on a sidewalk around 3 a.m. in the 4600 block of South Marshfield Avenue, police said. He was taken to Christ Medical Center and pronounced dead.
• Saturday morning, a man was gunned down in Calumet Heights on the South Side. Police found Nathaniel Allen, 33, in the driver’s seat of a vehicle around 8:30 a.m. in the 9200 block of South Harper Avenue. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
• Saturday evening, a woman was fatally shot in West Englewood. Parrish Peeples, 54, was standing on the porch of a home about 5:15 p.m. in the 6500 block of South Claremont Avenue when people got out of a vehicle and fired shots at her, police said. She was struck in the leg and abdomen and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where she was pronounced dead.
• An 18-year-old man was killed Saturday night in Englewood on the South Side. The man was walking through a gas station about 8 p.m. in the 1100 block of West 63rd Street when a vehicle drove by and someone from inside opened fire, police said. He was shot multiple times in the body and was taken to Holy Cross Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. His name hasn’t been released.

Sunday murders

• A woman was shot to death and two men were critically wounded while walking Sunday morning in Jefferson Park. Meagan Bilbo, 19, and a man were shot while walking in an alley about 4:30 a.m. in the 4800 block of North Central Avenue, police said. The gunfire entered a building and struck another man. Bilbo died at Community First Hospital. The men, both 23, were listed in critical condition.
• Early Sunday, a man was killed and a woman wounded on the Near West Side. They were shot while sitting in a car in the 300 block of South Hoyne Avenue at 3:20 a.m., police said. Both were taken to Stroger Hospital, where the man, 41, was pronounced dead. The woman, 41, was in good condition.

Other shootings

Friday evening, a man was critically wounded in a shooting just blocks from the Mag Mile in the first block of East Huron Street. Sunday night, a teenager was shot while walking near the museum campus.

At least 17 others were wounded in shootings in Chicago from Friday, 5 p.m. to Monday, 5 a.m.

Last weekend, three people were killed and 26 others wounded in gun violence across Chicago.