Snowball Thrown at Officer Draws Felony for Boy, 13, Outrage From Residents

Photo Credit: DNA Info A day after a boy was arrested and charged with a felony for throwing a snowball at a police officer, students outside George Leland Elementary continued to build snowmen and throw snowballs at each other after school.

According to police, a 13-year-old boy was charged as a juvenile with felony aggravated battery against a police officer Wednesday after he hit the officer in the arm with a snowball while the officer was parked in his vehicle in the 4900 block of West Congress Parkway about 3:20 p.m.

Residents sounded off on the crime and punishment the next day, many describing the charge as police “going overboard.”

“It’s not fair,” said Mary Grant, a longtime resident of the block. The boy “was being hardheaded, but that’s very harsh. The officer should’ve tried something different than arrest.”

The boy is believed to be a student at Leland Elementary School, formerly May Elementary, which sits at the southeast corner of the intersection near where the snowball was thrown. Officials at the school acknowledged that the incident occurred but declined to comment.