By Rosemary Regina Sobol Tribune reporter
4:00 p.m. CST, February 20, 2014
A 13-year-old boy arrested for allegedly hitting a Chicago police officer with a snowball says he was wrongly picked out of a crowd of kids walking home from school.
And besides, he adds, the snowball didn't even hit the cop.
"It made me mad," said the eighth-grader, who is facing a felony charge of battery to a police officer. “He (the officer) said the snowball hit him but it hit the car, not him."
The incident occurred around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 4900 block of West Congress Parkway, about a half a block from where the boy attends school, according to a police report.
The officer reported that the boy threw a snowball and hit him in the arm while he sat in a marked squad car. The boy was taken into custody and charged as a juvenile with aggravated battery to a peace officer, a felony. The Tribune is not naming him because he is a minor.
The eighth grader said he had just gotten out of school and was standing with about 15 classmates when someone else threw the snowball. The school’s dean and a security guard were stationed nearby and singled him out.
"He kept trying to tell the officer that he didn’t do it but they didn’t believe him," the boy's mother said. "He was standing on the corner, there was a whole crowd of kids. It’s so crazy."
The mother said she got a phone call from the officer. "He got on the phone and was saying (her son) threw a snowball at the car and the officer was in the car," the mother said.
"It’s sad, he’s only 13. I’m so upset, he’s never been in trouble before," she said. "It’s his first case."
The boy told his mom that the dean, Lenard Robertson, pointed him out and said it was him.
“I have absolutely no comment,’’ Robertson said when reached for comment.
Police said the boy has no known gang affiliation and confirmed it was his first arrest. He is slated to appear in juvenile court on March 12, police said.
In addition to the charges, the school has suspended the boy for five days, the mother said. The boy is hoping to attend Marshall or Manley high schools next year.
