A viral video which shows a uniformed Chicago cop smashing a basketball hoop into the ground in Little Village, then trying to put it in his squad car, is being investigated by the Chicago Police Department
The incident, filmed in the 2600 block of South Kedvale Avenue, was posted to Facebook on Thursday. By Friday night it had already been viewed 63,000 times.
The video shows an officer repeatedly slamming the hoop into the street as another officer watches.
A man who identified himself as the owner of the hoop, Noe Silva, on Friday told NBC 5 that he and his buddies often play in the street by his home, and have previously been told to put the hoop away by police. Though he and his pals always obliged, Silva said, the officer on Thursday grabbed the hoop from the street before slamming it and breaking it, NBC 5 reported.
“I’m shocked you know, why did he do that?” Silva said. “He could have told us, ‘Hey, put it away, put it inside, we don’t want you playing out here.’ ”
He told NBC that he later found the hoop in a dumpster and plans to keep playing.
Ald. Ricardo Munoz told the station the block has been “problematic” because there’ s a lot of loitering there, but he thinks the officers might have overstepped.
“We should have gotten rid of the basketball hoop, I just believe the officer crossed the line by destroying it,” he said.
The police department issued a statement that said it is investigating the incident and is “committed to community policing fostering stronger relationships based on trust and understanding.”
