Naperville Teen Takeover Ends in 9 Arrests and Nearly 3 Dozen Citations: 'No Second Chances'

The crackdown

Nine people were arrested and nearly three dozen citations were issued after hundreds of mostly teenagers gathered in downtown Naperville on Monday evening, police said.

The gathering began around 5 p.m. June 1 along Washington Street between Chicago and Van Buren avenues. Groups of 250 to 350 people congregated in the area, according to a Naperville Police Department news release.

Police deployed multiple teams throughout downtown to maintain public safety. Crowds were dispersed by roughly 11 p.m.

Who was arrested

Five juveniles and four adults were taken into custody.

Juveniles arrested:

• A 17-year-old from Plainfield on a battery charge
• A 15-year-old from Bloomington on obstructing identification
• A 17-year-old from Bolingbrook on battery, assault, illegal possession of cannabis, and illegal possession of tobacco by a minor
• A 17-year-old from Aurora on obstructing identification and criminal trespass to state-supported land
• A 17-year-old from Romeoville on disobeying a peace officer and interfering with a peace officer

Adults arrested:

• Amaree J. Bivens, 23, of Naperville, on obstructing a peace officer and four outstanding warrants
• Sudais Oyekanmi, 18, of Aurora, on obstructing identification
• Marshun J. Smith, 18, of Romeoville, on attempted aggravated assault on a peace officer
• Tyler L. Sims, 18, of Romeoville, on battery and obstructing a peace officer

Witnesses describe fights and police intervention

Thomas Burke, a Naperville resident, said he was downtown the entire day and noticed a heavier police presence by 3 p.m.

Burke said he saw a fight break out between what appeared to be two groups of juveniles around 7:30 p.m. near Main Street and Jackson Avenue.

"From what I understand, it's like there's a group of kids and there were like two or three teams that were against each other, and the one group was from Bolingbrook because they kept saying, 'Come back to Bolingbrook, come back to Bolingbrook,'" Burke said.

Burke said officers broke up the fights each time they started.

"Police were in really good spirits. They were still talking to the people, they were still keeping a light attitude with the kids," Burke said. "Even when the kids would approach each other and try and like tangle, they would get in between them and tell them, 'Hey, if you guys fight, you're getting arrested.'"

A zero-tolerance message

Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres said the department warned the public ahead of time that it would take a zero-tolerance approach to illegal activity.

"We've been very clear on our stance. We want people to come to our city, patronize our businesses, and enjoy all the amenities Naperville has to offer. But if you break the law, there will be no warnings; there will be no second chances," Arres said in a statement.

Arres said officers were prepared after the teen takeover was advertised on social media.

"We proactively communicated ahead of time that we were going to have a zero-tolerance approach to this," Arres said. "We asked parents to speak to their children about this, about what being a good citizen means. Unfortunately, that message wasn't taken."

Not the first Naperville takeover

Monday's incident was not the first teen gathering to draw police action in Naperville this year.

• In March, four juveniles were arrested on battery charges after a fight broke out during a downtown gathering involving about 300 people.
• In mid-May, during a smaller incident involving about 40 juveniles, one was charged with aggravated assault and another with obstructing a peace officer.
• Last year, a 14-year-old was arrested for allegedly possessing a loaded semiautomatic pistol during a gathering that involved about 150 people.

Arres said many residents thanked officers for preventing the gathering from escalating.

"There was a lot of thanks from the residents that didn't want things to get out of control because I think we've all seen these teen takeovers get pretty nasty throughout the United States," Arres said.

The police chief said responsibility starts at home.

"The biggest thing is this comes down to parenting," Arres said. "Parents need to have discussions with their kids about what being a good citizen looks like and being a good neighbor, being a good friend. I still think it goes back to that first point. It's got to start at home. Are these conversations being had? Do you know where your kid's going?"

Naperville Cmdr. Rick Krakow declined to share additional details about what led up to the arrests, according to the Chicago Tribune.