CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) -
The Chicago Police Department has a new plan to combat the violence that led to several mob attacks in the Gold Coast over the weekend.
Three people were attacked in two separate incidents, leading to the arrest of eight teenagers.
The Fraternal Order of Police tells Fox Chicago News that starting this Thursday, the department plans to start using a mobile unit of officers working on their days off to respond to trouble spots around the city.
"It's a band aid approach on a manpower hemorrhage. It's a good start but you can't continue on at that pace, you can't have officers working six or seven days a week on an extended basis, you're going to burn them out," said Pat Camden, FOP spokesman, adding what the department really needs to do is hire more officers.
On Sunday night a 36 year old doctor, walking in the 800 block of North DeWitt, was attacked and beaten by a large mob of teens. No one was arrested.
On Saturday night two people were assaulted near State and Illinois. In that case police arrested eight teens on charges of mob action. Eighteen year old Mitchell Cordarrowe, who lives in the 5900 block of South Indiana, was the only one charged as an adult.
"I can't believe this is happening a second year in a row, I don't see why people feel the need to attack innocent people at once and I feel bad for the police because I don't know how they're going to stop this, said Erin Kannett, manager of Sophia's on Oak Street.
On Good Day Chicago, Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy vowed to move quickly.
"We have to get the cops out there at the places where these events are likely to happen. This is something that happened last year, we got on top of it immediately and we knocked it right out and we're going to do the same thing now," McCarthy said.
Along Michigan Avenue tourists and locals went about their day, many oblivious to the weekend violence, but others vowing to be more careful.
"It's scary because I have children, young children myself and we've been walking the streets in Chicago, shopping and it's very scary," said Andrea Wittmar, visiting from Evansville, Indiana.
Many others share her concern and hope police get a handle on the mob attacks before they get out of hand.
