UPDATES WITH CHARGES
A man has been charged with breaching a checkpoint at O’Hare International Airport and attacking several police officers early Sunday as he tried to board a plane.
Malik Steffon Neal, 21, faces two counts of aggravated battery to a peace officer and one count of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, all felonies, according to Chicago Police. He was also charged with one misdemeanor count each of criminal trespass to state land and battery.
About 4:45 a.m., Neal breached a checkpoint by forcing his way past Transportation Security Administration agents into a secured area of Terminal 3 and tried to board an aircraft, police said. He did not have a valid ticket and ignored the agents who, along with Chicago Police officers, ordered him to stop.
When the two police officers and two TSA agents attempted to place him into custody, he attacked them, striking them repeatedly, police said. One Chicago Police officer suffered injuries to the face and was taken to Resurrection Medical Center for treatment. A Chicago Police sergeant suffered a cut to the ear and was treated at the scene.
Neal, who lives in the 200 block of South Raynor Avenue in Joliet, was taken into custody and also taken to Resurrection Medical Center for a mental evaluation, authorities said. He was scheduled for a Monday bond hearing.