On Wednesday, a 13 year old boy was arrested for throwing a snowball at a police officer in Chicago. The boy has been charged with a felony for the prank. The incident happened at a West Side Elementary School. The boy claims that the police officer was not hit with the snowball, but that the police car was. The police officer was sitting inside of the car when the snowball was thrown, and the dean of the school and a security guard pulled the boy aside. The boy says he was singled out from a crowd of about 15 boys that were throwing snowballs.
Residents React to the Punishment
Many nearby residents have criticized the police for overreacting to the incident. The boy, who has no juvenile record or gang affiliation, will now carry a felony on his record if convicted. In addition, the boy has been suspended from school for five days. The court case will take place in juvenile court on March 12.
An educator that lives on the block where the situation occurred says that he feels the cops were justified in charging the boy, and that he may learn a lesson from the incident. He elaborates that if he were allowed to get away with the incident, he may come back at 16 or 17 with a gun, but this may help him to change his ways. Other citizens see the charge as ridiculous and hope to see a prosecutor throw the charges out. What do you think?