A security guard at the now-shuttered Ford City Mall has been accused of hitting an 18-year-old with his vehicle Monday night after allegedly battering a man with a metal rod in an incident captured on video, according to Chicago police.
The victims — who spoke to the Sun-Times on condition of anonymity — had been riding Lime e-scooters on a sidewalk near the property around 11 p.m. when a white SUV approached them before a man exited and reached for something from the backseat. One of the riders, a 28-year-old man, tried to talk to the security guard, who, without speaking, allegedly struck him with a metal object.
The 18-year-old and 28-year-old then fled, with the unidentified security guard following in his vehicle, eventually catching up to them and striking the teen with the car near a gym operating on the mall’s campus. Paramedics treated both at the scene for injuries, according to Chicago police, who said the incident remains under investigation. No arrests have been made.
“I’ve never had a confrontation with security like that. Usually they’ll just ask you to leave, and we obey that,” the teen said.
Videos of the encounter, which have amassed tens of thousands of views across social media platforms as of Thursday, show the driver of a white SUV accelerating and hitting the teen, knocking him off the scooter as he continues recording. Both victims had been wearing GoPro cameras and were recording at the time of the incident.
In a statement, Namdar Realty Group, current owners of Ford City Mall, said it was “disturbed by what they (videos) appear to show.”
“The safety of anyone on our property, regardless of the circumstances, matters to us, and the actions depicted do not reflect mall security protocols nor conduct that ownership condones,” the statement said. “We are taking the investigation of this incident very seriously, in collaboration with the Chicago Police Department.”
Ald. Derrick Curtis (18th), whose ward encompasses the property, said he previously had to push the company to hire security, though Namdar Realty Group has since acquired guards.
But Curtis said there have been issues at the mall with street takeovers diverting police resources from shootings and other emergencies.
Still, he wants to see the security guard and involved companies held responsible. Namdar Realty Group did not disclose whether the security guard was reprimanded for the incident.
“That’s one reason why this redevelopment is very important. There’s too much crime going on,” Curtis told the Sun-Times Thursday. “[But] we will not only hold the security company responsible, but Namdar as well, for all their injuries.”
The teen and man who were injured are self-described urban explorers who often take videos around and inside abandoned buildings across the world. They explained they had just been driving around the lot that night and are used to interacting with security, who generally just ask them to leave.
In other cases, police are called, and they’re issued a trespass order.
They explained being caught off guard by the hostility, as their interactions with other security guards have been relatively cordial because “our goal isn’t to damage or do anything wrong.”
“To be met with violence is abnormal. It’s not what security usually does,” said the 28-year-old man, who chose not to be identified and posts content under the social media accounts called DecayingMidwest. “Something has to be done. I just don’t want somebody to die.”