Sandy MaloneChicago, IL – At least 13 police officers were hurt and countless businesses along Chicago’s Magnificent Mile shopping district were vandalized and looted on Sunday night after an officer-involved shooting of an armed man with a long rap sheet.
The incident began at about 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 9 after Chicago police responded to the area of 56th and Aberdeen in Englewood for a call about a man with a gun, WFLD reported.
Chicago Police Deputy Chief Delonda Tally said officers spotted the armed suspect and chased him.
“During the foot pursuit, the offender turned and fired shots at the officers. The officers then returned, discharging their weapon,” Chief Tally said.
The suspect was struck during the gunfight, WFLD reported.
He was transported to University of Chicago Hospital and was expected to survive.
Police recovered the suspect’s handgun at the scene, WFLD reported.
Media staging will be at 57th and Aberdeen
— Tom Ahern (@TomAhernCPD) August 9, 2020
Neighbors gathered at the shooting scene and quickly became a violent mob, WFLD reported.
Police said people in the crowd began hurling things at officers.
“We do have an officer that was maced by someone in the crowd. We do have an officer that sustained a shoulder injury from the incident with the crowd. One of our vehicles, the windows were shattered by a brick,” Chief Tally told reporters.
Police said the crowd’s outrage was stoked by the claim the 20-year-old man shot by police had been a juvenile, WFLD reported.
In fact, the armed suspect had a history of prior arrests for burglary, child endangerment, and domestic battery, FOX News reported.
After the unrest at the original scene, the violent mob moved down to the city’s Magnificent Mile shopping district at about midnight and began smashing windows there.
Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said 400 police officers in tactical gear were dispatched to the Loop as the caravans of rioters arrived, WBBM reported.
Some of the looters arrived with boxes of rocks and bricks to use to break windows.
Looters were seen leaving stores with shopping bags full of merchandise they’d stolen, FOX News reported.
At least one U-Haul van was seen pulling up to be loaded with looter’s booty, and in many spots, people were seen loading stolen merchandise into waiting vehicles.
Shots were fired at officers at about 5 a.m., WMAQ reported.
Chicago police tweeted that officers had returned fire near the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Lake Street, but it was unknown if any of the gunmen who had been shooting at police were struck.
No officers were hit during the exchange of gunfire, WMAQ reported.
Chicago mayhem gun shots ringing out downtown. #ChicagoRiots pic.twitter.com/JjaGtfkXWV
— Simulation Warlord🇺🇸 (@zerosum24) August 10, 2020
Superintendent Brown said a security guard and a civilian were struck by gunfire in a separate confrontation during the night, and transported to hospitals in the city.
The superintendent said police recovered five guns on Monday morning, bringing the total of recovered weapons to 149 for the weekend, WMAQ reported.
BLM looters in Chicago have broken into a Tesla dealership. #ChicagoRiots https://t.co/27cpocwWLB
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 10, 2020
https://twitter.com/SarahJindra/status/129275976643193651
Looters in Chicago calmly walk in and out of businesses with stolen merchandise at the BLM riot. #BlackLivesMatter #ChicagoRiots pic.twitter.com/JdvNahwXWm
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 10, 2020
The police superintendent said 13 police officers were injured during the mayhem, including a sergeant hit with a bottle and an officer whose nose was broken, WMAQ reported.
“What we are seeing is violence against police,” Superintendent Brown said on Monday morning, according to WBBM.
He said nine Chicago police officers had recently been shot.
“This was an act of violence against our police officers and our city,” Superintendent Brown reiterated.
He said he cancelled all days off for police and ordered officers to 12-hour shifts, WBBM reported.
The superintendent said he created a special task force whose job is to review surveillance videos from the looting to make arrests.
Seeing more clips from the #ChicagoRiots & ppl IG/FB Live’d themselves looting & calling ppl by their first names while doin it. Jumping into cars with looted items while live news record ur license plates. How dumb u gotta be?🤦🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️ Ppl goin to jail soon. pic.twitter.com/HqMr8mMkxg
— DJ MoonDawg (@DJMoonDawg) August 10, 2020
Numerous participants in the violence and looting reported filmed themselves committing the crimes and shared it on social media.
Illinois State Police were called in to help block off freeway ramps as looters fled with their stolen items, FOX News reported.
The transit authority also temporarily shut down all bus and train routes into downtown.
The city of #chicago is raising all the bridges to downtown to keep people away from it. #ChicagoRiots pic.twitter.com/xHWfFPpDWe
— 🇷evolution Streams (@RisePDX) August 10, 2020
At least 100 people have already been arrested for disorderly conduct and theft, according to WBBM.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot called the criminal activity overnight brazen.
“We are waking up in shock this morning,” Lightfoot said. “It was abject criminal behavior, period. This was straight up felony criminal conduct.”
“This was an assault on our city,” the mayor added, according to WBBM.
“We are coming for you,” Lightfoot said. “This is not anywhere near acceptable.”
She said she told prosecutors to put their best people on the case and prosecute looters to the greatest extent possible, WBBM reported.
THEY ARE LOOTING PORTILLO'S @portilloshotdog AND WALGREENS. I CALLED 911, BUT NO POLICE AT ALL! Hundreds of looters @Chicago_Police #ChicagoScanner #chicagoriots #looting #chicago @CWBChicago @Chicago_Scanner pic.twitter.com/bRXKVEfTRj
— Frank Calabrese 'Wear a Mask' 😷 (@FrankCalabrese) August 10, 2020
JOE BIDEN'S AMERICA! SNEAK PREVIEW!🇺🇲#BlackLivesMatter#BlackIsKing#chicagoriots#CHICAGOScanner
— iammix 🔔 (@iammix24) August 10, 2020
The city of #chicago is raising all the bridges to downtown to keep people away from it. #ChicagoRiots pic.twitter.com/xHWfFPpDWe
— 🇷evolution Streams (@RisePDX) August 10, 2020
Superintendent Brown said the people arrested in earlier looting incidents this summer didn’t get the appropriate consequences.
Rioters caused more than $66 million in damage to businesses in the city during the riots following George Floyd’s death in the custody of the Minneapolis police on May 25, WBBM reported.
There were 1,800 police reports about vandalism and looting filed after the first rounds of riots.
Many of the same businesses were looted again early Monday morning, WBBM reported.
Huge crowd Looting @Nordstrom #Chicago #ChicagoRiots pic.twitter.com/Z7R1mil80O
— GOPrincess 🇺🇸 MN Mama (@GOPrincess) August 10, 2020
The looting Monday morning spread into other neighborhoods, WMAQ reported.
Businesses in River North, Streeterville, Lincoln Park, the Gold Coast, and the South Loop were vandalized and looted as well.
Superintendent Brown said access to downtown would be restricted between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. going forward, WMAQ reported.
Holly Matkin
