Hundreds of teens took to the streets in downtown Oak Park on Halloween night largely concentrated along Lake Street where there was a heavy presence of Oak Park police officers to manage the crowd.
However, smaller groups of teens split from the main area, with one group landing in the 500 south alley between Clinton and Kenilworth Avenues, where Daniel Crimmins, a resident of a nearby home, was allegedly assaulted.
Crimmins detailed the incident in a written statement to Wednesday Journal.
Oak Park police said Monday afternoon they were unable to confirm or comment on the matter because Crimmins had not come to the police station to file a police report.
By late afternoon, the department issued a statement confirming that Police Chief Shatonya Johnson had arrived at Crimmins’ home on the evening of Oct. 31 based on a call from a police community service officer who was on the scene. She spoke to family members, however, Crimmins had already been transported to the ER at Rush Oak Park Hospital before her arrival.
Craig Taylor, Crimmin’s husband, noticed the disturbance in the alley behind his home around 8:50 p.m. while taking out his dog, and Crimmins went out to check that everyone was safe and there was no property damage.
Crimmins described what he saw as a “swirl of teens and chaotic activity.” He did not feel threatened although some “sassy” insults began to be thrown his way. He said he saw one of the teens collapse against a garage seemingly drunk and close to passing out.
He decided to stay in the alley to make sure the teen was safe as others tried to help him up and call for help if needed. While he waited and observed he was called names such as, “bitch, faggot, asshole, old dude.”
He said a teen girl called him a “fucking bitch” to which he responded, “I am a bitch?” and turned back around to the teen who was still down by the garage. The teen girl then punched him in the back of his head, according to Crimmins.
He estimated six to eight teen boys then surrounded him and repeatedly punched him in the head and torso, one with a long wooden dowel rod. Crimmins said he tried to protect his head with his arms.
“In the moment, I was unable to respond. I could not come to grips with the idea that I was actually being violently attacked by children. I kept thinking, as I was being injured, is it OK for me to fight back? It is legal? Is it morally right to hit kids, ever? I did nothing to fight back,” wrote Crimmins.
Somone jumped onto his back causing him to fall to the ground where he rolled into a ball. Taylor and Crimmins’ son then came into the alley causing the group to move away and Crimmins to get back up. He then called 911 and a community service officer came into the alley within 30 seconds, so he ended the call with dispatch.
The officer called for an ambulance and tried to warn the group of teens away with a flashlight as they continued to approach and taunt. According to Crimmins, the officer had “no marked squad car, no lights, no weapon or taser, not even a way to take a statement or report.”
Crimmins expressed he felt unsafe for his family, but there was nothing the officer could do, and he said the officer told him “every responding unit was assigned to the downtown Lake Street area, and that he might be able to send Chief (Shatonya) Johnson to our home to take a report.”
The ambulance took Crimmins to the Rush Oak Park emergency department where his injuries were treated. He sustained a laceration on his foot, lacerations on his head and bruising to his arm and upper body. He did not have any serious injury or immediate neuro-skeletal damage but will continue to monitor himself for any signs otherwise.
In their late afternoon statement, the department confirmed Johnson arrived to the alley after Crimmins had been taken by the ambulance and did not speak to him at any point, and two officers responded to the alley to look for the group of teens but was unable to find them, according to a statement from the police department spokesperson.
“Chief Johnson wants to emphasize that it was unfortunate that his bravery to intervene resulted in him being injured,” wrote the spokesperson in the statement.
Crimmins said Chief Johnson spoke with his family and other witnesses, but no formal report was taken.
Crimmins heard from Oak Park police on Nov. 2 around 2:48 p.m. asking to take a report, but he plans to file a police report in person at a later time.
Crimmins said he does believe the police department does a decent job of “finding the balance” to protect the community but also feels “It is inexcusable to me that my case was not documented on-site immediately.”
“I also believe that our police force generally does a good job with a difficult task, and that there are political forces on both sides that affect how they can do their work,” wrote Crimmins. “Incidents like this can happen in any town. But I do think we should look for ways to learn from events to make better plans for the future.”
