Photo from Fox News of siblings Monica Mejia and Michael Sopher accused in attack on an officer.
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A brother and sister are in custody after brutally attacking an officer, leading to lifelong injuries. The cause of the attack is as sickening as the attack itself.
What Happened
According to reports by Fox News, an ambulance was responding to a call on Tuesday, May 19, in the McKinely Park neighborhood. They were attempting to transport a patient when a vehicle pulled up behind a police car, blocking the ambulance from moving.
Fox News reports that Monica Mejia, 31, her brother Michael Sopher, 33, and two others exited the vehicle. Officer Mangan left his squad car to issue a citation to Mejia, who was the driver. As he did so, she walked away with the others in her group to her car. Court documents say in her refusal to acknowledge the citation, she also blocked her vehicle’s registration number. A verbal altercation ensued between her and Officer Mangan, and that’s when prosecutors say the incident turned violent.
After issuing the citation, the officers returned to their vehicle, but Mejia began banging on their car window, reports note. In the midst of this, another officer stepped in to restrain Mejia, but she responded by striking that officer and attempting to “grab his radio strap.” Her brother Sopher then got involved.
Prosecutors say Sopher brutally attacked Officer Mangan, punching him in the face. Then, he mounted the officer and assaulted him until other officers pulled him off. They found Sopher had been able to disorient the officer using an illegal set of brass knuckles. The officer’s injuries are severe.
Officer Mangan will be unable to chew solid food for at least several months due to the severity of his injuries. Nearly all of his front teeth were knocked out or badly damaged. Some of his teeth were forced up through the roof of his mouth, embedding them there. He remains in Stroger Hospital, where he is expected to undergo extensive oral reconstructive surgery. His family is asking for justice.
As noted by Fox News, his mother Carol Mangan is speaking up. “This is pure agony for me. I feel really happy that justice for once was served with these two career criminals, and that they were detained and not let out electronic monitoring.” She has a point.
Sopher is a registered sex offender, as Fox News reports. The station lists his offense and mentions he is not complaint with registration. He was supposed to be registered by May 6, 2026, but hadn’t done so. This should have led to his arrest. Since 2021, Sopher, a five-time convicted felon, has been arrested five times in Chicago for everything from Domestic Battery to Burglary. His sister isn’t far behind in criminal activity.
Mejia was arrested in March 2024 for Domestic Battery and Aggravated Use of a Deadly Weapon. An alderman had input about the siblings. “The gentleman that punched Kevin so violently is a five-time felon,” 15th Ward Alderman Raymond Lopez said, according to Fox News. “His sister, his codefendant, has a history of attacking law enforcement, and yet both were walking around free as if they don’t have a care in the world.”
The Takeaway
Monica Mejia, 31, and her brother Michael Sopher, 33, are in custody for the sickening attack of Officer Kevin Mangan, who suffered life-altering injuries. Carol Mangan, the officer’s mother, along with an alderman, is demanding justice. The officer’s road to recovery will be long and not ever fully complete. The two suspects are expected to appear in court over the next few weeks.
Jermaine Reed, MFA is an educator and the Editor-in-Chief of TheReedersBlock. Take time to Subscribe. It helps promote independent journalism and the site. Follow him on TikTok, where he has over 9 million views and nearly 1 million likes. Help him get there.
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