'A fiasco': Officers arrest retired doctor, 70, biking near Gaza war convention protest

CHICAGO − A 70-year-old retired emergency room physician said he was bicycling along an empty street Monday near a Gaza war protest when a Homeland Security officer arrested him for trespassing.

Charles Steinbruegge, of Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood, wanted to check out the demonstrations near the United Center , where Democrats are gathering this week for their national convention .

Steinbruegge, a 20-year Army veteran who considers himself politically moderate and feels "agnostic" on the Israel-Hamas war , was not a protester, but a curious onlooker. He said he biked down a deserted street, away from an area police had cordoned off. Then an officer approached him, said he was in a restricted area − and promptly slapped him in handcuffs.

"It was a disaster. It was a fiasco. They were just morons. They just were trying to be tough guys. They had nothing else to do because there was nothing going on in that area," Steinbruegge said.

More: Protesters hit Chicago streets over Gaza at Democratic National Convention

Cyclist says he passed through opening in fence unaware of restrictions

Steinbruegge says he spent nearly 12 hours in two different "freezing" jails before police released him. He was still wearing what he called his "dorky" biking shorts and cycling shoes when he was released at 4 a.m. Tuesday.

A misdemeanor trespassing charge and a citation were pending, according to Chicago police.

When Steinbruegge left home Monday afternoon, he figured he would bike 20 minutes to the protest, "look around," then continue on his usual circuit along the lakefront, which he makes four or five times a week.

He said he passed through an opening in the security perimeter fencing on North Washington Boulevard, through which reporters, photographers and pedestrians were also passing without issue. He biked toward a group of officers assembling near the end of the street, curious what they were doing. He said he saw no signs it was restricted and was not aware of any orders to stay out of the area.

"It looked like that's where you were supposed to go," Steinbruegge said of the opening in the fence. It appeared "they had one passageway to get from one street to the next, so that's what I thought it was."

More: Milwaukee pro-Palestinian protesters outside DNC say neither Harris, Trump deserves support

Officers were 'overzealous' in arrest, cyclist says

Steinbruegge, who said he has no criminal record, told the Homeland Security officers that he was a retired Army doctor, but it didn't save him from arrest.

He called the response "overzealous" and "disproportionate."

"They were just looking for people to justify their existence," Steinbruegge said. "He could have just told me to turn around and go back. He could have even escorted me."

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Chicago police arrested several people Monday afternoon after a few dozen protesters broke away from a peaceful march and pulled down sections of security fencing surrounding the United Center. Police later moved to clear people from the nearby park, which is called Park 578. Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling on Tuesday lauded the response of his officers during the chaotic moment.

For Steinbruegge, the entire ordeal was a "nightmare."

"I understand they wanted security, but they also have to exercise a little common sense," he said.

Sophie Carson is a general assignment reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel who reports on religion and faith, immigrants, refugees and more. Contact her at scarson@gannett.com or 920-323-5758.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 'A fiasco': Officers arrest retired doctor, 70, biking near Gaza war convention protest