Chicago Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) President John Catanzara ripped “record” crime in Chicago on Wednesday following a mother losing her unborn child in a brutal attack allegedly perpetrated by a group of teens.
Catanzara appeared on “The Ingraham Angle” to discuss the rising crime rates in the Democratic city, following a horrific attack on a Chicago couple last week. Fox host Laura Ingraham asked Catanzara what the “point” of the attack was after the couple revealed the teens did not rob them. (RELATED: Dem Convention Succeeds In Getting Chicago Police To Say They’ll Actually Arrest Criminals)
“Well, some of it’s thrill,” Catanzara said. “First of all, good evening Laura, thanks for having me. It’s ludicrous, they keep trying to pitch that this city is safer. It doesn’t feel safer to anybody. Traditionally safe locations and neighborhoods within this city, crime is happening at record rates. That’s just a simple fact. And you can’t get away from that number no matter how much they say about murders being down.”
According to data from the Illinois Policy Institute from March, while violent crime arrest rates have dropped 43% in the city over the last 10 years, violent crime increased by 11.5% in 2023. Ingraham asked Catanzara what has been the change in America concerning crime, asking whether the riots from 2020 were “inflection points” for younger people.
“It was, but I think the young generation is so lost in their cell phones and not developing relationships on a personal level as they grow up, whether it’s as toddlers, teenagers, or even young adults, that also leads to this whole thing, too,” Catanzara responded. “Everything is almost like this fantasy world that there is no consequences, there is no real death. But, you know, reality says quite otherwise.”
Last Friday, a Chicago couple had been walking in the city’s Streeterville neighborhood before being jumped by a gang of teens who repeatedly kicked the woman’s stomach, punched and pepper sprayed her, according to the New York Post. Pictures of chunks of her hair ripped out and her husband’s head bruised with marks circulated. The woman has since revealed that she was two weeks pregnant and lost the unborn baby.
Authorities arrested two suspects, a 14-year-old boy, and a 17-year-old girl. They are charged with misdemeanor battery, according to the outlet.
