An off-duty Chicago police officer struck an on-duty cop in the face while dressed as a clown on Halloween night in Boystown, according to prosecutors and the woman’s mugshot. The accused officer, who has two years on the force, is assigned to desk duty until an internal investigation is completed, according to a CPD spokesperson.
Around 1 a.m. on Nov. 1, a doorman at Charlie’s nightclub told 30-year-old off-duty cop Karina Salgado that she could not enter the bar at 3726 North Broadway according to a police report. Salgado made another attempt to enter the bar, then left, a CPD spokesperson said.
Officers caught up with Salgado, told her that she was barred from entering the club, then blocked her path when she tried to enter the bar again, according to the spokesperson.
Salgado allegedly struck an officer in the face, leading to her arrest. Police said Salgado was intoxicated at the time.
Prosecutors charged her with misdemeanor counts of resisting police, battery, and criminal trespassing.
Second City Cop, a blog that focuses on Chicago policing, said Salgado had been working in a specialized mass transit unit before the incident. She will be taking police reports over the phone at a desk job until CPD’s internal affairs unit completes an investigation, the department said. Chicago Police Department rules expressly prohibit officers from being intoxicated while on- or off-duty.
City records show she earned $72,510 last year.
One Second City Cop commenter ripped Salgado as “Booze-O The Clown,” while another speculated that she may drive a “Clown Vic.”
As of Tuesday, court records do not list bail details for the case.