Pregnant woman helps break up fight between officer, teens

ALTON — A pregnant woman helped break up a scuffle between an Alton police officer and a group of teenagers who attacked him over the weekend, officials said.

Jesus Salinas, 17, Jose Salinas, 19, and Adrian Lopez, 17, were arraigned Wednesday on charges stemming from Saturday’s incident, said Alton police Sgt. Mike Luna. Each teen remains incarcerated in lieu of a $3 million bond.

Officers had already charged 17-year-old Manuel Macias in connection with the attack.

The officer was responding to a disturbance at a home near the intersection of Nixon Avenue and Linares Street when the group allegedly pounced on the officer and began to physically assault him, Luna said. The teens did not appear to be intoxicated.

A pregnant woman ran up to the group and tried to help the officer, who suffered minor injuries from the attack. It was unclear whether the woman knew the suspects.

Police said the officer was scratched on his face during the confrontation but was otherwise OK. The woman did not apparently suffer any injuries.