A convicted child sex offender and his sister have been detained on allegations that they battered a Chicago police officer who wrote them a ticket for blocking an ambulance at an emergency scene Tuesday night in McKinley Park. Prosecutors said the injured officer will be unable to eat solid foods for several months.
Officer Kevin Mangan was among the CPD officers who responded to an incident in the 3700 block of South Marshfield Avenue, where an ambulance crew was assisting a patient. While they were there, prosecutors said, 30-year-old Monica Mejia arrived and parked directly behind a squad car, blocking it in and also preventing the ambulance from leaving.
Mejia, her 33-year-old brother, Michael Sopher, and two other people got out of the car and left, prosecutors said, so Mangan walked over to issue a ticket for blocking an ambulance.
At that point, Mejia returned and began arguing with Mangan while blocking her vehicle ID number so he couldn’t issue the ticket, prosecutors alleged. Mangan and the other officers at the scene returned to their squad cars and started to leave.
But Mejia wasn’t done, prosecutors claim. She walked up to Mangan’s squad car and slammed her hands against the window, causing Mangan to reengage. When Mejia put her hand in Mangan’s face, the officer pushed it away and Mejia smacked the officer’s hand and struck the left side of his body, prosecutors said. Another officer started to intervene, but Mejia tried to strike them, too, and repeatedly tried to grab the second officer’s radio strap, according to the allegations.
At that point, Sopher joined the fray, grabbing Mangan and punching the officer in the face multiple times, causing Mangan to fall to the ground, prosecutors said. Sopher then allegedly climbed on top of the fallen officer and continued to punch him in the face, causing several of Mangan’s teeth to be knocked out or loosened. Officers pulled Sopher off of Mangan and found a pair of brass knuckles in his front hoodie pocket, prosecutors said.
Mangan was taken to Stroger Hospital for treatment.
Prosecutors said Sopher was convicted of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child in Indiana in 2021. He is not compliant with the sex offender registration law and was ordered to comply on May 6, but has not done so, prosecutors said. He was also convicted in 2023 of failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements, and was convicted of three burglaries in 2021, according to prosecutors.
Mejia was convicted of aggravated battery of a peace officer in 2022 and misdemeanor resisting in 2023, prosecutors said.
Sopher is charged with aggravated battery to a peace officer causing great bodily harm, being a felon in possession of a weapon, and repeated violation of sex offender registration. Mejia is charged with two counts of aggravated battery of a peace officer and misdemeanor criminal damage to property.
Judge James Murphy III ordered both detained.
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