Prosecutors today charged a 14-year-old boy with felony aggravated arson for allegedly setting fire to a trash can inside a Lakeview fast food restaurant shortly after midnight, police said. No injuries were reported.
An employee of Subway, 3952 North Sheridan, called 911 after the boy and a group of teens entered the restaurant and lit the trash receptacle on fire around 12:18 a.m., according to a CPD spokesperson.
Police officers monitoring the 19th District’s surveillance cameras determined that the teens fled to the nearby Sheridan Red Line after setting the fire. Patrol units went to the CTA station and detained a group of suspects who fit the description provided by the restaurant worker.
The employee identified the 14-year-old as the one who started the fire, police said.
Tuesday’s incident is not related to a series of arson fires that have been set in outdoor trash cans and dumpsters in nearby Lakeview and Lincoln Park since October.