Teen mobs attacks 2 victims in Mag Mile
Witness says 15-20 teens steal wallet, beat victims
Another mob attack happened Tuesday night in Chicago's Mag Mile.
A witness tells WGN 15-20 NEGRO teens beat and robbed two people at Chicago and Wabash. The group took a wallet before running to the Red Line.
This follows attacks on a CTA bus in Streeterville and at the lakefront.
Chicago police responded again Tuesday morning with a statement saying heightened police presence is key and that increased patrols have resulted in more than a dozen arrests in related cases.
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Detective Shavedlongcock:
It is time to get a few hundred people together with nice baseball bats... And take care of this problem once and for all!
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
More Murders...More Shootings... In Chicago where crime is DOWN DOWN DOWN....
1 dead, 1 wounded in Chicago Grand Crossing shootingOne person has died and another wounded after a shooting tonight on the South Side in the city's Grand Crossing neighborhood.
The shooting happened shortly before 8:30 p.m. on the 6700 block of South Stony Island Avenue, said Police News Affairs Officer Ron Gaines.
Preliminary reports said two male victims were wounded, one critically, and both were taken to Stroger Hospital, Gaines said. The other victim's condition was stabilized at the hospital, the officer said.
There was no immediate information available from police about the victims' ages or the circumstances leading up to the shooting.
Police could not confirm that one of the victims had died, but the Cook County medical examiner's office was notified of a shooting death that occurred near 67th Street and Stony Island Avenue, an office spokesman said.
As of 10:30 p.m., no one was in custody for the shooting. Wentworth Area detectives were investigating.
Double Shooting in Chicago's Woodlawn Neighborhood Two men were shot in the South Side's Woodlawn neighborhood tonight, police said.
The incident happened before 8:30 p.m. near 66th Street and Stony Island Avenue, said Chicago Police Officer Daryl Baety.
One man, a 51-year-old, was shot in the lower back and was taken to Stroger Hospital where his condition had stablized. The other, a 23-year-old, was taken to Stroger in critical condition.
Details of the shootings were not immediately available.
Cop fired after helping fellow officers in distress
It was a Saturday on campus when David Sedmak, a Rice University police officer, heard "Officer down, officer down!" on his scanner: Two members of the Houston Police Department had been shot downtown. Sedmak rushed to the scene to help his fellow officers.
But Rice didn't see Sedmak as a hero. Instead, the university fired him, citing "dereliction of duty."
The university said in a statement that its officers often assist other law enforcement agencies when the need arises. But Sedmak erred, it said, by not informing the university police dispatcher about where he was.
"Sedmak left his post when only two other officers were on duty and failed to notify his supervisor of his whereabouts for nearly an hour, which could have endangered the safety of our students and campus," according to the university.
The May 7 episode that led to Sedmak's controversial dismissal began when Jesse Brown, 20, was seen with a pistol as he tried to buy a ticket at the Greyhound bus station in downtown Houston. When HPD officer Fernando Meza, working an off-duty job at the station, confronted Brown about the weapon, Brown shot him in the hand. Soon after, Brown shot another officer, Timothy Moore, in the leg.
Sedmak said he arrived on the scene and prepared for a confrontation with the armed suspect. Several HPD officers came in after him and took cover behind his patrol car. Brown, who had been accused of shooting a 3-year-old girl, her grandfather and another man on Halloween in San Francisco, then shot and killed himself as Sedmak and the other cops closed in.
Both Meza and Moore were at a news conference Monday to show their support for Sedmak, a former Galveston police officer. The Houston Police Officer's Union presented him with a $2,500 check to help as he looks for new work.
Sedmak was stunned by the dismissal. "My only concern on that day was to render aid to these two officers," he said. "Quite frankly, I couldn't believe that after being in law enforcement for nearly 17 years that I was being relieved of my duty for running an assist to an officer."
Kevin Lawrence of the Texas Municipal Police Association agreed. "You don't fire a guy for this unless he's a chronic disciplinary problem," Lawrence said. "You call him in, you counsel him and you put him back out there. If he's a good cop, he's a good employee. You use this as a training opportunity."
The Denver Post: Beat goes on for police
Editorial: Beat goes on for policeAfter another proposed settlement for abuse by Denver cops, it should be clear that city officials are right to crack down.
If you harbored any doubt about the wisdom of the recent push to more stringently punish cops who misbehave, news of yet another potential settlement in a police misconduct case should disabuse you of that notion.
The Denver City Attorney's office is recommending a proposed $117,500 settlement for Tyler Mustard, who said police beat him with a flashlight in 2008.
Mustard, who has filed a federal lawsuit against the city and the officers involved, maintains an officer beat him without provocation and lied in saying Mustard hit the officer first.
This comes on the heels of a $795,000 settlement paid in May to a police beating victim, and stricter disciplinary actions against officers that have resulted in seven firings this year.
Safety Manager Charles Garcia, hired less than three months ago, already has fired five officers for various offenses.
Richard Rosenthal, independent police monitor, has consistently supported stricter rules, particularly those concerning officers who lie.
We applaud the actions, and the role that interim Mayor Bill Vidal has played in injecting urgency into resolving police disciplinary cases.
We hope mayoral candidates Chris Romer and Michael Hancock are paying attention and stand by their pledge to consistently enforce police disciplinary rules.
24 year old Deputy Sheriff Kurt Wyman of Oneida County Sheriff’s Department was killed in the line of duty
ORISKANY – The Town of Augusta was awakened early Tuesday morning to the sounds of gunfire as Oneida County Sheriff Deputies returned fire after a six hour standoff.
The Oneida County Sheriff’s Department announced Tuesday morning that Deputy Sheriff Kurt Wyman, 24, was shot and killed in the line of duty.
According to county officials, Wyman and Deputy Mark Chrysler were dispatched to a domestic incident at the home of Christian Patterson, 41, at approximately 8:08 p.m. Monday night.
Patterson’s residence is located at 5488 Knoxboro Road, Town of Augusta.
During the dispute, Patterson threatened to kill his live-in girlfriend, Shannon Secor, and himself. Secor later fled the residence with aid from a neighbor, according to the sheriff’s department.
Officials said that Wyman, Investigator David Nowakowski and Sergeant Robert Nelson negotiated with Patterson for approximately six hours.
Patterson, armed with a shotgun, refused to surrender and issued numerous statements that led deputies to believe that he was going to harm himself, according to officials.
At approximately 2 a.m., deputies attempted to take Patterson into custody. Patterson responded by shooting and killing Wyman and shooting at Nowakowski, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
According to Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara, Patterson was in his garage, shooting at deputies located outside of the residence.
Thereafter three members of the sheriff’s department returned fire. Patterson was wounded and is currently being treated at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Utica.
Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol said that a large contingency of police and other agencies were involved throughout the standoff.
According to McNamara, Patterson will be charged with aggravated murder. It is an A-1 felony with the potential punishment of life in prison with no parole.
McNamara also mentioned how the DA’s office is still looking to execute search warrants for the Patterson residence, but since the crime scene remains in the hands of the Sheriff’s Office, this cannot be done at this time.
Wyman had served in the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office since October 11, 2007.
Wyman was a two time recipient of the Oneida County Sheriff’s Grand Cordon Medal and named the Oneida County Sheriff’s Rookie of the Year in 2010. Active in the United States Marine Corps Reserves as a Corporal, Wyman was activated for military duty in Iraq on May 1, 2008.
Wyman is survived by his wife, Lauren, and their 18-month old son. They were expecting their second child. According to reports, as soon as Wyman’s wife heard the news of her husband’s shooting, she went into labor. The sheriff’s department would not release the current condition of Mrs. Wyman.
Officials of both the Sheriff’s Office and Oneida County were left stunned as portraits of the 24-year old Wyman were passed around at the press conference.
“[Wyman] was dedicated to his job,” said Maciol. “My fondest memory is of him walking next to me during the New Hartford parade…He served country and county with pride.”
“This is a sad and tragic day for the Oneida County community,” Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente said. “This young man stood for the finest in public service…All of our hearts go out to the Wyman family…They [deputies] never know what they are going to face when they go out and we are forever grateful to them.”
Picente expressed how tragic it is that Oneida County must suffer through the third law enforcement agent killed in the past five years. New Hartford Police Officer Joseph Corr was shot and killed during a vehicle pursuit on Feb. 27, 2006 and Utica Police Officer Thomas Lindsey was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop on April 12, 2007.
“This type of tragedy has never happened to our office,” said the Sheriff’s Department’s Lieutenant James McCarthy. “We must now take care of our own and take care of Deputy Wyman’s family.”
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the investigation is still on-going. A press conference will be held in the near future once more information can be released.
ACLU: Racial disparities in state police searches - Really?
Hey ACLU... Why not also ask why there is such a racial disparities in the amount of crime Blacks and Hispanics commit? When minorities make up most of the violent crimes... DUH.. THEY GET STOPPED AND SEARCHED MORE, you assholes!
The Illinois chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint today asking the federal Department of Justice to investigate the Illinois State Police’s use of consent searches, arguing officers unfairly target minority drivers for search during traffic stops.
The civil rights group has long pushed to ban such searches, citing data collected by the state that shows Hispanics and African Americans were two to three times more likely to be searched for contraband even though white motorists were more likely to be found in possession of drugs, alcohol or weapons.
It’s a trend the group says has been evident since the state began collecting racial data in traffic stops in 2003, a measure pushed by President Barack Obama when he was in the state Senate.
“These searches are carried out on a hunch, and it’s clear the Illinois State Police have hunches more frequently with black or brown drivers, and that those hunches turn out to be wrong more frequently for black and brown drivers,” said Harvey Grossman, legal director for theACLU of Illinois.
For example, Hispanic motorists were 3.95 times as likely as white motorists to be asked by troopers during traffic stops to be searched, according to a letter posted on the ACLU's website.
The complaint notes that, when searched, white motorists were far more likely -- up to 7.92 times in 2007 -- than Hispanics or African Americans to be found carrying contraband.
Grossman said the group decided to ask the Department of Justice to intervene because it would be quicker than a court case, and because the agency’s civil rights division has taken an active role under Obama.
A spokeswoman for the federal agency says it will review the complaint.
The group previously has asked former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and current Gov. Pat Quinn to end the searches using their executive authority.
A spokesman for Quinn's office said officials are looking over the complaint but the administration "takes matters of this nature very seriously."
Breaking News Story - At least 30 bodies found in mass grave in Texas....
Mass Grave Found in Texas
DEVELOPING: A mass grave was discovered in Daisetta, Texas, MyFoxHouston.com reported, citing a Liberty County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman.
Authorities reportedly said as many as 30 bodies were found at the intersection of two county roads in the southeastern part of the state, KPRC-TV reported.
Sheriff deputies are at a home in Hardin, where they were told about the bodies from a tipster, KHOU.com reported. The tipster described dismembered children's bodies, the station reported, citing another source. FoxNews.com could not independently confirm the report.
The FBI is helping with the investigation.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/06/07/mass-grave-found-in-texas/#ixzz1OdJGEfLc
WLS ABC TV's Charles Thomas - BIG ASSWIPE!
Left liberal black militant Charles Thomas was on the Roe & Roeper radio show on WLS today....
Thomas was upset that the news made a big deal about a guy on a motor scooter getting into a fight with some "KIDS"....
Disregarding the fact that the WHITE KID ON THE MOTORCYCLE was ATTACKED BY A DOZEN BLACK MALES FOR NO REASON OTHER THAN THE VICTIM BEING WHITE!
Jagoff Thomas went on to say... He fears what the police will now do with large groups of black teens now going downtown for some lunch....ARE YOU FUCKING JOKING?
I am telling everybody who hear this asswipe on WLS please call Channel 7 news and place a complaint! (312) 750-7070
or send an email from this website:
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/feature?section=resources/inside_station/station_info&id=5770573
New OEMC chief: Chicagoans must be weaned from calling 911 with non-emergencies
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s choice to run Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications vowed Tuesday to usher in a “cultural change” in 911 dispatching to free police officers to respond to the most serious crimes.At his City Council confirmation hearing, Gary Schenkel said it’s high time that Chicago alter an outdated dispatch policy that sends police officers to respond to 70 percent of 911 calls, compared to 30 percent in other major cities.
Schenkel acknowledged it won’t be easy to wean Chicagoans of the habit of dialing 911 at every turn, calling the emergency number even for minor matters. It will require a major public relations campaign to divert lower priority calls to 311 or convince crime victims to file their reports online, Schenkel said.
But a two-year hiring slowdown has left the Chicago Police Department more than 2,300 officers a day short of authorized strength, counting vacancies, officers on limited duty and medical leave.
The only way to ease the manpower shortage — short of a hiring spree the city can’t afford — is to find a way to stop officers from chasing their tails by running from call to call, Schenkel said..
“It’s more of a cultural change,” he said. “Peoples’ mindset — that comfort of having a police car there — it’s gonna be hard to break. It’s gonna take some time, and it’s gonna take a collective effort.”
Schenkel said the first step is to meet with the police and fire commissioners to draft a strategy that begins with a public information campaign.
“If we start with the hard-fact data — the actual emergency responses that require a body, a car, an engine, an ambulance — that’s our starting point,” Schenkel said.
“Then, we look at the other end of the spectrum and say, `These are the types of calls we’re getting. Where’s my car? I think it was stolen. No, it was booted. No, it was hooked. I don’t know.’ Then, we start pushing those over gradually. We have to start that public information campaign.”
Former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s administration talked for years about altering dispatch policy but didn’t amid fears of a political backlash.
Now, Acting Police Supt. Garry McCarthy is pushing for the dispatch change. And Emanuel is prepared to support him.
“There’s a reason you have 311,” the mayor said last month. “There’s a reason you have 911. We’ve got to make sure people are using 311 for the purpose it was set up and 911 for emergency. If it’s what the professionals think we need to do, we’re gonna make that happen.”
A former Marine Corps training director, Schenkel ran the Chicago Police Department’s academy under former Supt. Terry Hillard.
Before unanimously approving Schenkel’s appointment, a handful of aldermen, led by Ald. Willie Cochran (20th), himself a former cop, complained about anti-crime surveillance cameras that either weren’t working or weren’t monitored.
Schenkel said he was “not aware of a large number of cameras being down” but would look into that, as well as Cochran’s suggestion that civilians be hired to monitor those cameras.
UPDATE: Chicago Police answering domestic battery call kill suspect
UPDATE: Oops! Man fatally shot by police was holding cell phone
A man fatally shot by Chicago police responding to a domestic incident in the Englewood neighborhood early this morning was holding a cell phone, officials said.
Police answering a domestic battery call in the Englewood neighborhood early this morning shot and killed a fleeing suspect who they believed was holding a weapon, police said.
The incident happened about 1:40 a.m. in the vicinity of the 6200 block of South Wolcott Avenue, police said.
The Cook County medical examiner's office identified the victim as Flint Farmer, 29, of the 6200 block of South Honore Street.
In a statement, police said that as officers approached the residence, a male suspect ran away attempting to escape. A foot chase ensued, with police identifying themselves and ordering the suspect to stop, according to the statement.
At that point, "the offender turned towards the officer, pulled an object from his pocket, which the officer believed to be a handgun, and aggressively came at the officer.
"The offender refused to comply with the officer's command to drop the object," the statement went on. "Fearing for his safety, the officer discharged his weapon, striking the offender."
Police News Affairs Officers Ron Gaines said he did not know what kind of object the suspect was holding. The statement did not say that a gun had been recovered.
A spokesman for the Independent Police Review Authority, which investigates all incidents in which police discharged their weapons, said he was on the scene, but offered no details.
A man fatally shot by Chicago police responding to a domestic incident in the Englewood neighborhood early this morning was holding a cell phone, officials said.
Police answering a domestic battery call in the Englewood neighborhood early this morning shot and killed a fleeing suspect who they believed was holding a weapon, police said.The incident happened about 1:40 a.m. in the vicinity of the 6200 block of South Wolcott Avenue, police said.
The Cook County medical examiner's office identified the victim as Flint Farmer, 29, of the 6200 block of South Honore Street.
In a statement, police said that as officers approached the residence, a male suspect ran away attempting to escape. A foot chase ensued, with police identifying themselves and ordering the suspect to stop, according to the statement.
At that point, "the offender turned towards the officer, pulled an object from his pocket, which the officer believed to be a handgun, and aggressively came at the officer.
"The offender refused to comply with the officer's command to drop the object," the statement went on. "Fearing for his safety, the officer discharged his weapon, striking the offender."
Police News Affairs Officers Ron Gaines said he did not know what kind of object the suspect was holding. The statement did not say that a gun had been recovered.
A spokesman for the Independent Police Review Authority, which investigates all incidents in which police discharged their weapons, said he was on the scene, but offered no details.
Alois Mabhunu, a homicide detective, gets 10 days in jail for using the presidential toilet!
Harare, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- A police officer in Zimbabwe who has languished at a police detention barracks for a month for using a toilet reserved for President Robert Mugabe will learn his fate at end of this week following an appeal to his boss.Alois Mabhunu, a homicide detective was sentenced last week to 10 days after he was convicted by an internal police court for responding to a call of nature in a toilet which had been reserved for Mugabe at a trade fair in Zimbabwe's second biggest city.
On Monday, a relative of Mabhunu said the officer was not represented by a lawyer at the hearing, but is hoping the police commissioner-general, Augustine Chihuri, will overturn the guilty verdict this week. He said he had heard that Chihuri will look at the appeal on Thursday or Friday.Besides serving the 10-day sentence, Mabhunu, a homicide detective, has been demoted and will no longer allowed to wear plain clothes.
Contacted for comment, Wayne Bvudzijena police spokesperson on Monday said the issue of Mabhunu was an internal, purely disciplinary matter on which he couldn't comment. Bvudzijen said Mabhunu failed to obey instructions and the law had to take its course.
Mabhunu was part of the security team when Mugabe attended the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair last month. He is alleged to have rushed to the VIP toilets reserved for Mugabe and Jean Louis Ekra, head of the African Export Import Bank, who was participating in the opening ceremonies.
When he was stopped by other officers guarding the toilets, he obliged, but he later forced his way in. The following day he was arrested, he has been in custody since then.
Chicago where crime is DOWN! 'The person you were talking to has just been shot'
Harry Hardy went to pick up his sister's mail at the three-flat she owns in the Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side. On his way back home, he gave her a call.As his bus approached, he told his sister he would call back, according to relatives. Then the connection went dead. About two minutes later, a woman came on the line and told her, "The person you were talking to has just been shot."
The sister, Gloria Washington, rushed to the nearest medical center, Mount Sinai Hospital. There she found her brother was dead. Hardy, 48, of the 2100 block of East 71st Street, was pronounced dead at 4:02 p.m. Monday.
Police say someone walked up to Hardy as he stood at the bus stop in the 700 block of South Pulaski Road and shot him in the back and chest.
Relatives said Hardy no longer lived in the neighborhood where he was killed and were shocked that he was gunned downed. He was the father of a 24-year-old daughter, 23-year-old son and a 6-year-old son, in addition to a stepson. He was a handyman always managed to stay busy, his niece said.
Hardy had been working on the third-floor apartment at his sister's building, trying to get it ready for new tenants. "He had a thriving handyman and carpentry business and owns a building on the South Side," said his niece, Indria Gillespie.
He also offered his help to people in the community who suffered from hearing loss. He had learned sign language when he was a student at Whitney Young Magnet High School, the niece said.
On Monday, Washington spent the day talking to neighbors and trying to retrace her brother's steps. But all she found were conflicting stories about his death, leaving her with more questions, Gillespie said.
"So many people are desensitized by these killings," Gillespie said from her California home this morning. "This is the second time I've lost an uncle to violence," noting another uncle was slain in Chicago in 1979. She said the police never found his killer. "I hope this case is solved," she said.
Police said their investigation is continuing and the motive for the shooting was unknown. No one was in custody.
Sister/Brother Teacher Team Sexually Assaulted Students
Two teachers were charged with sexually attacking five former students of a Christian school on the Northwest Side, police said.The teachers, who are brother and sister, work at the Dayspring Christian Academy, 5133 W. Fullerton Ave., police said.
According to police, Eliza Martinelli, 34, of the 1500 block of South Raymond Drive, in Naperville, was charged Monday with four felony counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault of minors.
Her brother, Nelson Quintana Jr., 27, whose home address is listed as the school, was charged with one misdemeanor count of criminal sexual abuse, police said
Martinelli also is charged with supplying alcohol to the four victims when they were students of hers over the years. The former students were between the ages of 13 and 17 at the time.
According to police, Martinelli's alleged victims include three females who are now, 19, 23 and 28, as well as a male victim who is now 21.
The attacks allegedly occurred at the school, at Martinelli's home and on field trips and other school functions, according to police.
Quintana is accused of abusing one victim who is now 23.
According to police, one of the alleged victims reported the abuse to authorities in April and then the others came forward.
According to online information, the school has about 121 students and is pre-K through 12th grade.
Martinelli is expected to appear in bond court today.
A woman who answered the phone at the school would only say that the charged teachers are no longer teaching at the school and refused further comment.
Gov. Pat Quinn is naming former Chicago schools chief Gery Chico chairman of the State Board of Education.
Gery Chico to lead state ed board Gov. Pat Quinn is naming former Chicago schools chief Gery Chico chairman of the State Board of Education.
Quinn said in Chicago on Tuesday that Chico’s “decades of experience” in education and administration will be a boon to the state’s schools.
Chico became president of the Chicago school board in 1995 when the city took over the schools. He helped close a budget deficit, build new schools and repair old ones, and got credit for raising test scores.
The State Board of Education is a policymaking body that oversees state and federal grant money and implements education law.
Chico lost the Chicago mayor’s race this year and finished fifth in the 2004 Democratic Senate primary that Barack Obama won.
Chicago Police crack down on bicyclists - As black mobs continue to attack white citizens!
Photo: City of Chicago bicycling ambassador Angel Montalvo, second from left, talks to a bicyclist who ran a red light at the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue, Kinzie Street and Des Plaines Avenue on Tuesday.A crackdown near downtown Chicago on bicyclists running red lights and disobeying other traffic laws led to dozens of warnings and at least one ticket Tuesday morning.
But the combination enforcement-and-education operation, conducted at the busy and chaotic intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Desplaines and Kinzie streets, may not have convinced all the violators to change their unsafe ways.
"I know the police have a job to do, but if obeying the law is going to cost me my life, I'm not going to do it," bicyclist Peter Walke said after being pulled over for two traffic violations -- riding in a pedestrian crosswalk and against a red light.
Walke told police officers that the location, on a popular commuter biking route used by hundreds of cyclists during rush hours, is extremely dangerous.
"I've been turned into (by drivers) a couple of times," Walke, 31, told the officers. "Cars will run into you. They don't like cyclists."
Walke agreed to follow the traffic rules in the future, and he was let go after being issued a flyer on traffic safety along with a verbal warning.
Police and officials from the city's bicycling ambassadors program said the enforcement operation went smoothly overall.
"Our priority is education," said Carlin Thomas, bike safety and education manager in the city' bicycling ambassadors program. "We partner with the Chicago Police Department to raise awareness and show visibility to all road users."
One of the red light tickets written Tuesday was issued to a bicyclist who "didn't like us being out here," said police Sgt. Patricia Maher.
"Most everyone was been pretty nice," Maher said. "A lot of the bikers we stopped simply said they didn't know you cannot blow through a red light."
Kate Patterson, one of the bicycling ambassadors, stood on one corner shouting out, "Go bikers! Thanks for stopping for the red," as stream after stream of bicyclists approached the intersection.
Most bikers smiled or waved, but some couldn't resist offering some feedback.
"Is this like bicycle Breathalyzer day?" bicyclist Justin Schmitz, 30, asked a police officer.
When he was told what the campaign was about, Schmitz said he supports it.
"If it will save some lives, why not?" He said. "There are as many crazy bikers as crazy drivers out here."
Authorities said changes in the traffic-control signals are needed at the intersection, which has been the site of numerous vehicle, vehicle-bicycle and vehicle-pedestrian accidents.
"The lights are timed awkwardly and the pavement striping is not effective," Patterson said.
As she spoke, city crews were restriping Kinzie, part of a project that the Tribune reported about on Monday to install protective bike lanes from Milwaukee to Wells Street.
Tuesday's sting operation was prompted in part by complaints from aldermen that police should do more to go after bicyclists as well as motorists who ignore traffic laws.
But some bikers felt singled out.
"Are the police tagging cars too today for running red lights?" said bicyclist Paul Jurkowski, 48, who police stopped for riding in a crosswalk. The law requires cyclists to walk their bikes in crosswalks.
"When are you targeting cars?" Jurkowski asked a police officer. "I'd like to see it."
Another Flash Mob Beating/Robbery - 10 black males beat and rob white college student on CTA bus
Group Attacks UIC Student on CTA Bus at Roosevelt and Throop: MyFoxCHICAGO.com
Black Flash Mob Group Attacks UIC Student on CTA Bus at Roosevelt and Throop
Chicago - A University of Illinois at Chicago student was beaten and robbed of an iPod by a group of men on a CTA bus early Sunday, prompting the university to issue a crime alert.
The student was sitting on a No. 12 CTA bus at 1300 W. Roosevelt Rd. just after midnight when a group of males got on the bus, according to the alert. One suspect struck the student with a glass bottle on the back of his head and took the student’s iPod.
The suspects -- described only as a group of eight to 10 black males all wearing white T-shirts -- then fled southbound from the bus, the alert said. The bus driver then alerted Chicago police, who responded to the incident.
An ambulance took the student to University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago for treatment, the alert said. The alert said a surveillance video from the bus may be available for review.
Campus police and Harrison Area detectives are investigating. Anyone with information is asked to call UIC police at (312) 996-2830.
Chicago - A University of Illinois at Chicago student was beaten and robbed of an iPod by a group of men on a CTA bus early Sunday, prompting the university to issue a crime alert.
The student was sitting on a No. 12 CTA bus at 1300 W. Roosevelt Rd. just after midnight when a group of males got on the bus, according to the alert. One suspect struck the student with a glass bottle on the back of his head and took the student’s iPod.
The suspects -- described only as a group of eight to 10 black males all wearing white T-shirts -- then fled southbound from the bus, the alert said. The bus driver then alerted Chicago police, who responded to the incident.
An ambulance took the student to University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago for treatment, the alert said. The alert said a surveillance video from the bus may be available for review.
Campus police and Harrison Area detectives are investigating. Anyone with information is asked to call UIC police at (312) 996-2830.
"We don't want the problems Chicago has" Seattle police to step up patrols on summer weekend nights
Photo: Mayor Mike McGinn, from left, Mike Sanford, Seattle police assistant chief of patrol operations, and John Diaz, Seattle chief of police, attend a press conference to discuss a citywide late night public safety emphasis on Monday in West Seattle. Seattle, Washington - For the second consecutive summer, uniformed Seattle police will be patrolling into the wee hours on Fridays and Saturdays in areas of the city where people congregate — from the Alki Beach strip to Belltown and the University of Washington's Greek Row, according to Seattle's mayor and police chief.
Mayor Mike McGinn and Police Chief John Diaz announced on Monday that the "Citywide Late Night Public Safety Emphasis" will kick off Friday and continue each weekend until sometime in September.
Last summer, the late-night emphasis was created in response to a series of early-morning shootings in Belltown, most of which occurred after patrons of the neighborhood's bars and taverns spilled onto the streets after closing time.
But violent incidents aren't the impetus for this year's emphasis, said Diaz, pointing out that the city is enjoying historically low crime rates.
Last summer's emphasis was "a success in the reduction we've seen in the number of shootings" and helped create "a sense of a safer city," he said. Still, even as crime rates go down, "people's fear of crime is going up" and one way to counter that fear is to have a highly visible police presence, the chief said.
"People feel safer when they see uniformed officers," McGinn said. Responsible club and restaurant owners have created a vibrant nightlife for residents and visitors alike, while irresponsible owners have been threatened with citations or even shutdown, he said.
While last summer's late-night patrols focused on Belltown, the downtown core and Pioneer Square — with some smaller patrols on Capitol Hill and in Fremont — this summer, police will target 12 districts in the city, including a couple that aren't readily considered nightlife hot spots. West Seattle's High Point neighborhood, for instance, may not be a bastion of nightclubs and restaurants, but it is a place where large numbers of people tend to congregate at night, McGinn said.
At a news conference at West Seattle's Don Armeni Park, which is named for a King County sheriff's deputy who was fatally shot in September 1954, McGinn and Diaz emphasized that the late-night patrols, which will have 15 to 25 officers on duty until 4 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, won't deplete resources from one area of the city in favor of another or impact officers responding to 911 calls.
The officers participating in the emphasis will be drawn from the department's Anti-Crime Teams and SWAT and traffic-safety units.
At the start of each Friday and Saturday night, a lieutenant will decide how to disperse the late-night patrol officers through the city — perhaps concentrating them in one or two neighborhoods, or deploying them more evenly in the 12 districts identified by the department's precinct commanders.
"This is pretty dynamic," Diaz said, explaining that a neighborhood's history of problems will play a role in determining where and when officers are deployed.
Diaz said officers involved in the emphasis can be readily moved "if things are heating up in another part of the city."
Police Supt. McCarthy (a.k.a. "Super G") vows to hunt down all ‘flash mob’ suspects - I bet my goatee we get them all!
Police Supt. McCarthy vows to hunt down all ‘flash mob’ suspects
Acting Police Supt. Garry McCarthy vowed Monday to hunt down every last thug responsible for so-called “flash mob” incidents over the weekend.
Acting Police Supt. Garry McCarthy vowed Monday to hunt down every last thug responsible for so-called “flash mob” incidents over the weekend.
Acting Police Supt. Garry McCarthy vowed Monday to hunt down every last thug responsible for so-called “flash mob” incidents over the weekend and throw the book at them to get a handle on a problem that’s damaging the reputation of downtown Chicago as a safe place to live, work, play and shop.
Speaking as five teens made their first appearances in court in connection with a string of five robberies — four within a ten-minute span — in Streeterville Saturday, McCarthy said police had made “in excess of 20 arrests” connected to flash mobs over the weekend.
During a break at his City Council confirmation hearing, McCarthy pointed to the arrests as proof there are enough police officers downtown, that the department’s strategy is working and that shoppers, employees and residents have nothing to fear from the large groups of teens who use violence and sheer numbers to intimidate and confuse.
“Our reaction to it has been quick, it’s been swift and it’s been very effective,” McCarthy said. “I don’t believe that it’s going to be something that we need to worry about long-term. We have to knock this out. We have to knock it out quickly — and that’s what we’re doing.
“The strategy to prevent that from occurring again is not to be satisfied when you get 10 kids commit an infraction and arrest three of them. ...We’re gonna find every one of `em. And we’re gonna prosecute and arrest every single one of ‘em.”
Asked whether tourists and people wanting to enjoy the lakefront should be concerned, McCarthy said, “No” but urged citizens to use common sense. “We have to be aware,” he said. “That’s the nature of the world today. But nobody should be afraid of this.”
McCarthy again insisted that gang loitering, intimidation and flash mobs had nothing to do with his department’s unprecedented decision to close North Avenue Beach on Memorial Day, despite statements to the contrary from beachgoers and some police officers.
Downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) has takes McCarthy at his word, but called for more officers downtown and along the lakefront.
Statistics show that robberies have increased by 10 percent so far this year in the downtown Near North police district, placing the district 12th out of 25 districts citywide.
Asked Monday whether he intends to assign more officers downtown, McCarthy said, “No...What we’re looking at is the cops we have, where they are and what they’re doing.”
Three adult teens charged in connection with the Saturday robberies were each ordered held Monday on bails of $200,000 or more. They were identified by prosecutors as:
◆Derodte Wright, 18, of the 3500 block of South State Street, a student at Perspectives Charter School, accused of attacking nursing student Ryan Dacumos and robbing him on the Lake Michigan bikepath near Chicago Ave. around 8.30 p.m. Described in court by his attorney as a good student with prospects of a college baseball scholarship, Wright was ordered held on bail of $200,000 by Cook County Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil.
◆Trovulus Pickett, 17, a Youth Connections Leadership Academy student who lives in the 8400 block of South Dorchester. Also charged with the robbery of Dacumos, Pickett allegedly teamed up with other youths to attack a 68-year-old Seattle physician Jack Singer in the 300 block of East Chicago Avenue minutes earlier, stealing his iPad and phone, and is also accused of robbing a Japanese doctor of his iPod in the 700 block of North Lake Shore Drive a few minutes later. Pickett’s bail was set at $300,000.
◆Dvonte Sykes, 17, of the 7500 block of South Normal, a student at Carver Vocational Career Academy, accused of robbing a Thai man who was taking photographs in the 700 block of North Lake Shore Drive and with taking part in a “mob action” in which northwest suburban insurance agent Krzysztof Wilkowski fought off robbers who tried to take his scooter in the 300 block of East Chicago. Sykes’ bail was set at $250,000.
Speaking later Monday, Sykes’ mother Tonia Rush said she believed the bails would have been lower if the crimes were on the South or West sides. “If it’s black-on-black crime, nobody cares,” she said.
Two 16-year-old also charged in connection with the attack on Sykes were also ordered held in custody Monday after appearing before juvenile court Judge Lori Wolfson.
See the expensive shirts these welfare hounds are wearing? I bet you a few bucks all these shirts were taken in previous flash mob robberies of stores along Michigan ave.....And whats with all this talk about the only flash mob incidents & wildings were this past weekend only?
These flash mobs and wildings have been going on for weeks now!
Is Super G promising to get all the offenders from the last 20 to 30 incidents? Or just the offenders from the incidents the news are reporting on from this past weekend?
Two Murdered and a Triple Shooting .... just for beginners!
2 slain in South, West Side gunfire in ChicagoTwo men were slain in separate shootings Monday morning and afternoon on the South and West Sides, officials said.
Hakeem Graham. 20, was shot multiple times on the 2400 block of East 75th Street, according to a representative for the Cook County medical examiner's office. Graham, whose address was unavailable, was pronounced dead at 11:20 a.m. at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
There was no immediate information available from police about the circumstances behind Graham's death.
The second victim was identified as Harry Hardy, 48, of the 2100 block of East 71st Street.
He was shot in the chest about 3:30 p.m. on the 700 block of South Pulaski Road, said Police News Affairs Officer Ron Gaines.
Hardy was pronounced dead at 4:02 p.m. at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to the medical examiner's office.
As of 11 p.m., no one was in custody for the slayings. Wentworth Area and Harrison Area detectives were investigating.
Triple Shooting - 3 shot in South Side drive-byThree men were wounded Monday night in an apparent drive-by shooting in the Washington Park neighborhood on the city's South Side, officials said.
The shooting occurred about 9:50 p.m. on the 5900 block of South Wabash Avenue, said Police News Affairs Officer Ron Gaines.
Witnesses reported seeing a vehicle leave the scene at a high rate of speed, Gaines said.
A 25-year-old man suffered a wound to his leg. An 18-year-old man was shot in the thigh and was in serious condition. Both men were taken to Stroger Hospital, police said.
A 21-year-old man was taken to the University of Chicago Hospitals with a bullet wound to his foot.
As of 11:12 p.m., no one was in custody for the shootings. Wentworth Area detectives were investigating.
Police: Mom fatally beat 12 year old son over prescription pain killers
GREENSBURG - Prosecutors say a Decatur County woman killed her son over pain medication.
Tasha Parsons is charged in the death of her son, 12-year-old Devin Parsons. She pleaded not guilty in a court appearance Monday.
Court document say Parsons told police her son "stole some Percocet pills from her." After the child wouldn't tell his mother where to find the pills, she beat him with her hands and feet, along with a belt and metal tray, over the course of several hours.
"I can't see her doing that. I close my eyes. It's a total shock," said Parsons' mother, Jeannie Welsh.
Police responding to a 911 call reporting the boy was not breathing found Devin Parsons dead in a bedroom.
"He told me, 'I'm not telling her where those pills are. I am not telling where those pills are, Mamaw. I don't care what they do to me'," Welsh said. "He didn't want her to take...he kept telling me, 'I just want my mommy back. That's all I want.'"
Devin Parsons told his grandmother that his mom was mean when she took the pills.
"Blows my mind. Blows my mind. Knowing all this time what was going on, I don't know what was going on in her head," Welsh said.
Welsh says she called Child Protective Services for the past year, trying to get Devin and his two younger siblings out of the house. He even asked to go to his grandparents' house Friday, but was told he had to stay home.
"If she done it, or helped to do it, it's just as bad as standing there and letting him do it. She's totally to blame, too," Welsh said.
Prosecutors also say Waldo Lynn Jones, who lived with Parsons and her son for about a year, was also present during the alleged beating. Jones left the house before officers arrived, but did not notify police or seek medical attention for the child.
He is facing a charge of neglect of a dependent resulting in death.
Monday, June 06, 2011
Drew Peterson Seeks Release As Appeals Keep Trial From Starting
Drew Peterson seeks release from jail during appeal processDrew Peterson’s attorneys are asking the former Bolingbrook cop be released from the Will County Jail while an Illinois Appellate Court considers his murder case.
Peterson, 57, has been jailed since May 2009 on charges he drowned third wife Kathleen Savio in her bathtub in 2004.
His bail is set at $20 million, but in a new request filed Monday Peterson’s attorneys argue he should be released on electronic monitoring or placed under house arrest because the appeal delaying his trial was launched last year by prosecutors.
“It’s not an unreasonable request, given the appeal,” said defense attorney Joel Brodsky.
But earlier requests seeking Peterson’s release have been denied by a Will County judge and the 3rd District Appellate Court that is hearing his appeal — and will consider the latest effort to win his release. The Illinois Supreme Court earlier had declined to hear a defense request seeking his release.
Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow opposes any effort to release Peterson or lower his bail, spokesman Charles Pelkie said.
Peterson’s trial was delayed after Glasgow asked the Appellate Court to overturn a ruling that limits the amount of so-called hearsay evidence that can be used against Peterson when he stands trial for Savio’s death.
Here is a way to weed through the bullshit: When a person is hit MULTIPLE TIMES with GUNSHOTS - It's not a stray bullet killing him - HE WAS TARGETED!
Hillcrest to hold vigil Wednesday for Ryan Royall - One more future basketball player taken in the prime of his life! This keeps up we may have to say good bye to basketball!
Photo: Now here's a rarity - A black kid who plays basketball! Wow, you don't see that too often! Ryan Royall, shot numerous times and killed at a ghettolicious birthday bash!
Hillcrest High School will hold a vigil in memory of Ryan Royall, a 17-year-old student who was shot to death early Sunday morning, at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
The vigil will begin in the school’s gymnasium and proceed to the front of the school, 175th Street and Pulaski Road in Country Club Hills.
Royall, who had just completed his junior year, was an up-and-coming talent on the Hawks basketball team.
He and a group of friends were leaving a birthday party at Ho-Chunk Sports and Expo Center in Lynwood when they heard a disturbance. Shots rang out and Royall was hit multiple times. He was pronounced dead at 1:21 a.m. at Franciscan St. Margaret Mercy Health Care in Dyer, Ind.
Lynwood Police Detective Jessie Hernandez said Monday that witnesses were being interviewed regarding the shooting but there were no suspects and no arrests have been made.
Police estimated 300 to 500 people were in attendance at the birthday party.
“We have a ways to go because there were so many people there,” Hernandez said.
He said it was too soon to tell whether the shooting was gang-related. Although the incident occurred about 12:30 a.m., Hernandez was uncertain whether any attendees could be charged with curfew violations because it was a private party on private property.
He said police were not aware of the gathering until they were called about the shooting.
The general manager of the Ho-Chunk Sports and Expo Center, Robert Funmaker, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Photo: Now here's a rarity - A black kid who plays basketball! Wow, you don't see that too often! Ryan Royall, shot numerous times and killed at a ghettolicious birthday bash!Hillcrest High School will hold a vigil in memory of Ryan Royall, a 17-year-old student who was shot to death early Sunday morning, at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
The vigil will begin in the school’s gymnasium and proceed to the front of the school, 175th Street and Pulaski Road in Country Club Hills.
Royall, who had just completed his junior year, was an up-and-coming talent on the Hawks basketball team.
He and a group of friends were leaving a birthday party at Ho-Chunk Sports and Expo Center in Lynwood when they heard a disturbance. Shots rang out and Royall was hit multiple times. He was pronounced dead at 1:21 a.m. at Franciscan St. Margaret Mercy Health Care in Dyer, Ind.
Lynwood Police Detective Jessie Hernandez said Monday that witnesses were being interviewed regarding the shooting but there were no suspects and no arrests have been made.
Police estimated 300 to 500 people were in attendance at the birthday party.
“We have a ways to go because there were so many people there,” Hernandez said.
He said it was too soon to tell whether the shooting was gang-related. Although the incident occurred about 12:30 a.m., Hernandez was uncertain whether any attendees could be charged with curfew violations because it was a private party on private property.
He said police were not aware of the gathering until they were called about the shooting.
The general manager of the Ho-Chunk Sports and Expo Center, Robert Funmaker, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Parts of dog's body found in South Side alley
Photo: Chicago police investigate on the 6900 block of South Hamilton Avenue this morning where the remains of a dead dog were found in two trash bags. Chicago, IL - Officials have determined that the body parts found this morning in two garbage bags in West Englewood neighborhood were those of a dog.
Police and fire personnel were called to the scene at 11:59 a.m. After investigating the scene, the body parts were determined to be canine, according to a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner I must confess...My big nose is larger than my Kosher Kut Weiner
You have to love an asshole who says he lied his ass off, he is sorry and he accepts full responsibility for his actions... But he isn't resigning his office, he isn't giving up any Congressional appointments and he isn't going to lose anything... If that is excepting responsibility... You can blow me asswipe!
Photo: Mr. & Mrs Weiner... She weighs 71 pounds, She makes Karen Carpenter look fat!Democratic U.S. Rep. Anthony "Tiny" Weiner from New York tearfully admitted having a number of explicit online relationships with women over the Internet, saying he was deeply ashamed of his actions but that he would not resign.
He should be ashamed of crying like a little sissy bitch too....
This could be Supt. Garry McCarthy's first big blooper! We will not deploy more officers to the downtown area due to these attacks - Downtown is safe!
Acting Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy tells the Chicago City Council: We will not up the police manpower downtown - even though gangs of roving black males are attacking white victims....Downtown is safe to visit!
Imagine if this was said had large groups of white males were attacking black victims???
Imagine if this was said had large groups of white males were attacking black victims???
Acting police Superintendent Garry McCarthy told reporters this afternoon at City Hall that, while he's satisfied with how the police handled the mob action incidents downtown over the weekend, he'll not be completely satisfied until he's got every offender in custody.
"The strategy to prevent that from occurring again is not to be satisfied when 10 kids commit an infraction and arrest three of them. The answer is were going to go after all 10 of them," McCarthy said. "We're going to find every one of them, and we're going to prosecute and arrest every single one of them."
McCarthy also said that he didn't know all the facts of the weekend mob action incidents, but said in excess of 20 arrests were made.
McCarthy stressed the importance of awareness, telling reporters, "You don't want to walk in dark areas by yourself after having a fight at a bar with a friend and you're going home. We still have to pay attention to common sense things to do. ... That's the nature of the world today."
He said the officers' reaction to the incidents was "swift" and he doesn't believe the mob action incidents will be something police will need to worry about in the long run. He also believes officers have been deployed to that area adequately.
He compared the officers' quick handling of those incidents to the way his officers in Newark handled an outbreak in carjackings.
"I believe every crime can be prevented. But guess what? When crimes aren't prevented then we have to turn them around very, very quickly and prevent the next incident from occurring. And that's what we've been able to do," McCarthy said.
___________________________________
Detective Shavedlongcock:
Supt. Garry McCarthy's statements about not increasing the amount of police officers to the downtown area was heard on WLS AM Radio News.
McCarthy when asked about these attacks by the City Council, "would you increase the amount of police officers to the affected areas?"
McCarthy stated, "NO!"
McCarthy stated that there were enough officers in these areas.
I think the more proper response would have been, we need to take a look at many different possibilities before making a manpower decision.
Kudos to WLS AM Don Wade & Roma - Actually addressed how the city is afraid to address the wildings/flash mobs - BLACK exclusively attacking WHITES
Don & Roma actually took phone calls from current & retired Chicago cops who explained how the City of Chicago is afraid to address the "Flash Mobs" and Downtown "Wildings" due to the offenders being BLACK and the victims being WHITE.
Kudos to their radio show for addressing the truth and what all the other media is afraid of!
UPDATE:
CHICAGO (WLS) - Callers to WLS Radio's Don and Roma Show had their own thoughts Monday morning about the roving gang of thugs that attacked four people in separate incidents on the Near North Side over the weekend.
Caller “Tony” says he is a retired Chicago Police officer, and feels the city is afraid to talk openly about the problem of so called “flash mob” violence, because the offenders are African American.
"When is the 2000 pound gorilla in the room going to be addressed? These are black thugs from the West side. This is not a group of mob children. These are black gangbangers," he said. "Now I'm a retired policeman. Thirty years ago, I would put my size 13 so far up their rear end, they would never do it again. But because of the liberals in our society, they've taken the power away from the police to do anything."
Caller and current police officer “Michael”, agreed.
"Because the department and the politicians in this city don't want to face what's really going on out here because it's politically incorrect, OK? This is black on white violence OK? They won't pursue a hate crime on a lot of these when it should have been pursued," he said.
Michael also told us how these so called “flash mobs” operate.
"They hit the stores, the Macy's, the Rainforest Cafes, the different restaurants. And it goes down from not wanting to pay after they eat a meal, to hitting a store and committing a theft, you know six of them at a time and then running in different directions, and now it's just basically gone on to 'let's just jump on this person and beat the hell out of him and take whatever he's got.'"
Police think teens organize the flash mobs through texting or through social networking websites.
Indiana man found murdered in Forest Preserves in Country Club Hills, Illinois
Photo: Country Club Hills Police Chief Regina "Crusty Toes" EvansA northwest Indiana man was pronounced dead Sunday after he was found fatally shot near a south suburban forest preserve.
Kirk C. Howell, 26, was pronounced dead at 8 p.m. at the scene at 4700 192nd St. in Country Club Hills, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office said.
The South Green Belt Forest Preserve is located near that address, maps show.
Howell, of Schererville, Ind., was found with a fatal gunshot wound, according to the medical examiner’s office. An autopsy to determine the cause of Howell’s death is scheduled for later Monday.
Cook County Forest Preserve police are investigating.
Body in Cook County morgue for a year proves to be missing woman
Cook County Morgue to charge family $5,938.75 for storage and late fees on body.
Carmelita Johnson went missing Jan. 5, 2010. For most of the time since then her body was in the Cook County morgue, but no one knew it.
"I'm very upset and angry that it took this long to identify my mother's body," one of her four daughters, Leslie Jackson, said this morning.
Chicago police first issued a missing persons alert for the Englewood neighborhood woman on Feb. 16, 2010. By that time, she already had been missing six weeks. Relatives told police they last saw her the previous Jan. 5 and that she had been involved in a turbulent relationship with a man.
The following April 10, the body of an unidentified woman was found by a man walking his dog along the beach in the 8500 block of South Green Bay Avenue in the South Chicago neighborhood. Police surmised the body had washed ashore and opened a death investigation.
But no one connected Johnson and the Jane Doe body at the morgue, case No. 146.
Jackson said the first detective assigned to the case promised the family for months that he would collect DNA samples and have them compared to unknown women at the morgue. That never happened, Jackson said.
Police classified the case as suspended. Family members pressed to have the case reopened. They suggested trying to match DNA.
Once a second detective, Det. Pamela Childs, was assigned to the case, things started to happen, Jackson said. Childs gathered DNA immediately from Jackson, one of her sisters and her grandmother, Jackson said.
But the body in the morgue was so badly decomposed it couldn't be identified through DNA, Jackson said. So Jackson told Childs where she could locate her mother's dental records. Last week, the detective gathered Carmelita Johnson's dental records and was able to get them matched to the unknown woman at the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Johnson's family plans to have her remains cremated and to hold a memorial service, Jackson said.
She said she has not been told how her mother died, but they have been told she was not shot or stabbed to death. And she added the family has an idea about who might have killed her. "My mother was in a very abusive relationship," Jackson said. "He would make threats that he was going to kill her."
Jackson said the family has no idea how long her mother's body was in the water. Jackson said she's horrified at the thought that drowning might be the manner in which her mother died. "She was terrified of the water. She never took us to the beach," Jackson said.
Jackson said Det. Childs promised her from day one that she would find her mother. "I want to thank her for keeping her promise and bringing us closure," she said.
Carmelita Johnson went missing Jan. 5, 2010. For most of the time since then her body was in the Cook County morgue, but no one knew it."I'm very upset and angry that it took this long to identify my mother's body," one of her four daughters, Leslie Jackson, said this morning.
Chicago police first issued a missing persons alert for the Englewood neighborhood woman on Feb. 16, 2010. By that time, she already had been missing six weeks. Relatives told police they last saw her the previous Jan. 5 and that she had been involved in a turbulent relationship with a man.
The following April 10, the body of an unidentified woman was found by a man walking his dog along the beach in the 8500 block of South Green Bay Avenue in the South Chicago neighborhood. Police surmised the body had washed ashore and opened a death investigation.
But no one connected Johnson and the Jane Doe body at the morgue, case No. 146.
Jackson said the first detective assigned to the case promised the family for months that he would collect DNA samples and have them compared to unknown women at the morgue. That never happened, Jackson said.
Police classified the case as suspended. Family members pressed to have the case reopened. They suggested trying to match DNA.
Once a second detective, Det. Pamela Childs, was assigned to the case, things started to happen, Jackson said. Childs gathered DNA immediately from Jackson, one of her sisters and her grandmother, Jackson said.
But the body in the morgue was so badly decomposed it couldn't be identified through DNA, Jackson said. So Jackson told Childs where she could locate her mother's dental records. Last week, the detective gathered Carmelita Johnson's dental records and was able to get them matched to the unknown woman at the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Johnson's family plans to have her remains cremated and to hold a memorial service, Jackson said.
She said she has not been told how her mother died, but they have been told she was not shot or stabbed to death. And she added the family has an idea about who might have killed her. "My mother was in a very abusive relationship," Jackson said. "He would make threats that he was going to kill her."
Jackson said the family has no idea how long her mother's body was in the water. Jackson said she's horrified at the thought that drowning might be the manner in which her mother died. "She was terrified of the water. She never took us to the beach," Jackson said.
Jackson said Det. Childs promised her from day one that she would find her mother. "I want to thank her for keeping her promise and bringing us closure," she said.
Lewiston (Washington) woman says Richland police killed her son
Photo: Police and crime scene technicians work the area of Cottonwood Drive and Thayer Drive. in Richland Sunday morning. A man was shot and killed during a confrontation with Richland police officers, according to Richland police Captain Jeff Taylor. Police were called at 6:29 a.m. to the 1400 block of Alice Street in Richland, for what police described as a “report of a suspicious person.” Police found the person in a car in the area of Cottonwood and Thayer drives. RICHLAND, Washington -- A Yakima Valley man reportedly was shot and killed by Richland police near the south end of Thayer Drive on Sunday morning.
Police did not release his name and would say only that there was a shooting after officers got a call about a suspicious person.
But his mother confirmed that James Dean Schultz, 27, died during a confrontation with police about 6:30 a.m.
Schultz, whose last address was not known, grew up in the Lower Yakima Valley. Online court records show he'd been convicted of several felonies in the past five years and served some time in prison.
Schultz was in a reportedly stolen car when police confronted him Sunday, said his mother, Josie Arreola of Lewiston.
He had called her Saturday just to say he loved her, she said. Then on Sunday, relatives and friends phoned her with the news of the shooting.
Few details were released by the Richland Police Department on Sunday, but based on Herald interviews with neighbors and police, the following unfolded:
Police were called at 6:29 a.m. to the 1400 block of Alice Street -- just off Thayer -- for "a report of a suspicious person," said Cpt. Jeff Taylor.
Officers found the suspect in a gold-colored sedan near the intersection of Cottonwood and Thayer drives, Taylor said.
Officers confronted the suspect and shots were fired, Taylor said.
People living in the neighborhood told the Herald that a lot of shots were fired. "It was rapid gun fire -- six or more shots," said Raymond Reid. "I looked out on the street but couldn't see anything other than a bunch of police cars."
His neighbor across the street confirmed hearing several shots, and a lot of police were in the area at the time of the shooting.
"It sounded like firecrackers -- when you have a bunch of them," said Sharon McElroy.
When the shooting stopped, McElroy looked out on the street and saw "about 10 police cars and 15 cops," she said.
The suspect died at the scene, Taylor said.
McElroy said Schultz appeared to be lifeless when the police pulled him from the car.
The passenger side of the car had three bullet holes in it, witnesses said. And markers with numbers -- usually used by police to show the location of evidence at a scene -- could be seen on the trunk of the car.
Taylor said he was not authorized to say how many officers fired their weapons. He said he didn't know if the suspect had a weapon.
The initial police report mentioned one suspect.
But McElroy saw officers handcuff and lead away "two girls and a guy," she said.
"There were other people at the scene and they were detained for questioning," Taylor later confirmed.
He didn't know if they would be charged, he said.
The Benton County jail registry was not available to the public Sunday.
Officers laid Schultz -- whom McElroy described as a "very slight, young guy" wearing a T-shirt and khaki pants -- on the grass in her side yard, she said.
His body remained there, covered by a sheet, for most of the day, McElroy and Reid said.
"It was very sad to look at him," McElroy said.
Schultz finally was moved about 4 p.m.
A car that appeared to be an unmarked police car blocked Reid's driveway all day. An officer told Reid he would have to drive across his lawn to get his own car out, Reid said. The officer told him the unmarked car could not be moved.
McElroy and Reid have lived on Cottonwood for four decades. They have never heard shots fired on their street, they said.
Investigators from the Tri-City Special Investigation Unit examined the scene all day Sunday. Thayer and Cottonwood drives were cordoned off for a block in both directions.
The investigation unit was set up earlier this year to share the burden of investigating officer-involved shootings. Agencies from across the Mid-Columbia contribute detectives to the unit, Taylor said.
Sunday's group of investigators included no Richland officers, he said.
Investigators plan to meet early today and piece together what happened, Taylor said. More information will be released after that meeting, he said.
CHICAGO: Two to four murders every night but some how crime is down.....
Gang member slain in Englewood neighborhoodA 25-year-old man who police said was a member of the Gangster Disciples gang was found shot to death this morning in an alley in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side.
The shooting happened about 1:50 a.m. in an alley on the 5600 block of South May Street, said Police News Affairs Officer Laura Kubiak. Arriving police officers found the victim unresponsive with a gunshot wound to his head. Witnesses reported hearing shots and a vehicle speeding away.
The dead man was identified by the Cook County medical examiner's office as Tristen Reese, of the 500 block of East 87th Street.
Woman fatally stabbed near her Northwest Side barA 67-year-old female bar owner died this morning after she was chased and stabbed in the neck steps away from her Portage Park establishment on the Northwest Side. Police said her death appeared to be domestic-related but no one was yet in custody.
The woman was identified by the Cook County medical examiner's office as Henryka Waskowski, of the 6400 block of West Berteau Avenue.
Waskowski and a 34-year-old man were stabbed about 2:13 a.m. on the 5700 block of West Irving Park Road. Waskowski owns Henryka's bar located at 5703 W. Irving Park Rd., sources said.
The other victim saw Waskowski being chased by another man with a large knife. When he tried to intervene, he was stabbed in the back, Police News Affairs Officer Laura Kubiak.
Both victims were taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center where Waskowski died about 45 minutes later, officials said.
Grand Central Area detectives were investigating.
Man shot dead leaving South Side gas stationA 19-year-old man was shot dead and another man seriously wounded Sunday night as they were driving away from a gas station in the city's Marquette Park neighborhood on the South Side.
Lemont Gogins, of the 7000 block of South Hermitage Avenue, was pronounced dead on the scene, according to a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office.
About 8:40 p.m., Gogins was a passenger in a car leaving a gas station on the 2800 block of South 71st Street, said Police News Affairs Officer Laura Kubiak. As the car was pulling out, a gunman walked up to the passenger side and fired several shots, striking Gogins in the head.
The other occupant of the car, also 19, suffered a wound to his shoulder and was taken in serious condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Kubiak said.
The shooting was possibly gang-related, Kubiak said. As of 6:30 a.m., no one was in custody for the slaying. Wentwroth Area detectives were investigating.
Party spins out of control when Facebook invite goes to thousands
A teenage girl in Germany who forgot to mark her birthday invitation as private on Facebook fled her own party when more than 1,500 guests showed up and around 100 police officers, some on horses, were needed to keep the crowd under control.
Ironic there wasn't any high school basketballers shot, no mobs attacking elderly people and no shootings...I wonder why that was???
Photo: Partygoers gather in Hamburg, Germany, on Friday after a teenage girl, identified only as Thessa, forgot to mark her birthday invitation as private on Facebook. The teenager ran away from her own party when more than 1,500 guests showed up, and about 100 police officers with horses had to keep the crowd under control.BERLIN — Better check your Facebook settings before posting a party invitation online.
A teenage girl in Germany who forgot to mark her birthday invitation as private on Facebook fled her own party when more than 1,500 guests showed up and around 100 police officers, some on horses, were needed to keep the crowd under control.
Eleven people were temporarily detained, one police officer was injured, dozens of girls wearing flip-flops cut their feet on broken glass and firefighters had to extinguish two small fires at the 16th birthday party in Hamburg, police spokesman Mirko Streiber said Sunday.
The birthday girl, identified only as Thessa, went into hiding, Streiber said, but “nonetheless the party was a hit.”
Thessa had initially only wanted to ask some friends over to her home in Hamburg-Bramfeld when she posted her invitation on Facebook, but mistakenly she published it so that everyone on Facebook could see it.
The invitation quickly went viral, and some 15,000 people confirmed online they would come to the party — without even knowing the girl, weekly paper Bild am Sonntag reported.
When Thessa's parents found out, they made their daughter cancel the party, informed police and hired a private security service to protect their home on Friday night.
Despite public announcements in Hamburg that the party had been canceled, some 1,500 teenagers and young adults showed up on the street in front of Thessa's home, Streiber told the Associated Press.
“We had cordoned off the house, some 100 police were on the ground, four of them on horses — but that did not keep the kids from celebrating,” Streiber said.
Some revelers held up signs asking “Where is Thessa?” others brought birthday presents and homemade cake, there was lots of alcohol and the crowd chanted again and again, “Thessa, celebrating a birthday is not a crime,” — in obvious relation to the massive police presence, Bild reported.
The police officer was injured when he tried to keep a party reveler from breaking off the Mercedes-Benz logo of his patrol car (Nice, Mercedes Benz Squads!).
“It was sheer insanity but mostly peaceful,” Streiber summed up the night with a laugh.
As for Thessa — she was nowhere to be seen. Police confirmed she “was not at home that night” and Bild reported that she celebrated quietly with her grandparents at an undisclosed location.
Jerome Oxman aged 96 - Collecting War Items For Over 70 Years
70 years of sifting through military surplus
For military surplus store owner Jerome Oxman's 96th birthday, he will personally conduct tours at his museum, a collection of rare and sometimes expensive items he bought at auctions.
Photo: Jerome Oxman, 95, shows off his collection of military history at the museum attached to his surplus store in Santa Fe Springs. For his 96th birthday, he'll offer guided tours.
For years, one of the most top-secret weapons of World War II sat in a corner of Jerome Oxman's shop, past the stacks of neatly folded fatigues, the rows of olive-drab canteens and a display of combat boots.
The Norden bombsight, a gyroscopically controlled telescope and computer that allowed the U.S. Army Air Forces to zero in on Axis ground targets, was as expensive as it was sophisticated: Each device cost about $122,400 in today's dollars.
Oxman bought his for $9.80. He picked it up when his employer, a Vernon surplus store, sent him to collect a load of government gear in 1950.
The retired bombsight was the first artifact in a vast collection of unusual military castoffs that Oxman would accumulate over 70 years.
By the time he opened his own surplus business in Santa Fe Springs in 1961, Oxman had purchased hundreds of specialized military items at government auction — items that no one else seemed interested in owning. When he found himself always explaining to customers the purpose of equipment scattered around his shop, he decided to open his own military museum.
Now, with Oxman preparing to celebrate his 96th birthday, the museum still draws war buffs and the curious alike.
Near the entrance is an actual B-17 bomber cockpit that visitors are encouraged to crawl into. Oxman bought it in 1963 for $100 from an archeological team that discovered it buried for decades in the sands of the Sahara Desert.
Along one wall is a sprawling collection of inert World War II bombs and artillery shells. Along another are World War II newspaper front pages and a display case containing a 1940s landmine, a pair of "minefield walking shoes" that were supposed to protect foot soldiers and a 75-year-old funnel-like "fighter pilot relief tube."
Nearby is an original case stamped "Librascope Balance Computor" that B-17 pilots used to calculate weight distribution in their aircraft. There's also a 2,800-pound Vietnam War-era Bullpup air-to-ground guided missile, which flew at Mach-1.8.
"I paid $300 for that in 1969," Oxman said, rapping his knuckle on the side of the 14-foot missile.
Among the 1,580 items displayed in the museum are a wartime German Mauser pistol and a 20-millimeter anti-tank gun. An 1862 Norwegian whaling harpoon stands near a small dining area Oxman calls the "Mess Tent Cafe." The menu includes actual military MRE field rations.
There are fighter jet ejector seats that visitors can sit in and a heat-seeking missile whose tip can be unscrewed to show the actual heat sensor.
"Look at how lightweight this is. It's some sort of composite metal," said Filipe Cortes, a 34-year-old Whittier musician who was accompanied by neighbor Terry Kestler, 54. "I'm seeing things here I never thought I'd see."
The recently enlarged museum, which is free to the public, operates in conjunction with Oxman's surplus store at 14128 E. Rosecrans Ave. The shop is operated by Oxman, his wife of 63 years, Miriam, and his sons Murray, 61, and Jason, 49. A third son, Brian, 59, is a defense attorney whose clients have included Michael Jackson.
The family stages occasional special events at the museum, such as the recent "Lunch with a Hero." The Saturday gathering featured World War II D-Day paratrooper-medic Edwin Pepping, 88, of Whittier.
Miriam Oxman said she enjoys the military collection as much as her husband does.
Pointing to a parabolic mirror from a World War II signaling device, she recounted how a customer once placed her handbag in front of the curved glass.
"We weren't paying attention, and the sun was hitting it just right, and it set her purse on fire," she said.
Oxman said his museum pieces are not for sale, even though private collectors often beg him to part with items. He said he once sold four surplus B-29 engines and propellers from a group of eight he purchased in 1964 for $400. He sold the engines to a private group that was restoring a bomber that had crash-landed in Greenland in 1947.
The 1995 salvage attempt of the Superfortress spy plane called the Kee Bird failed, however.
"After they had repaired it and were taking off, it caught fire and was destroyed," Oxman said. "I've got one B-29 engine here on display. I sure wish I had one of those propellers back."
Oxman's family said they plan to commemorate his 96th birthday with special museum tours conducted by him personally on June 25.
During the tours, Oxman will describe how the Space Shuttle servo activator he has on display heats its wing controls and how he came to acquire the $187,000 device "with a lot of other stuff" for $235.
He will talk about the Norden Bombsight too.
"It was so secret it was set up with explosives to blow up if the plane was shot down or captured," he said.
And Oxman — who first became fascinated with military equipment while serving three years on a U.S. Army supply route in Iran during World War II — will explain how the surplus business has changed in his lifetime.
"There used to be so much surplus equipment stored by aircraft companies and military bases all over the country," he said. "Now, it's hard to find."
For military surplus store owner Jerome Oxman's 96th birthday, he will personally conduct tours at his museum, a collection of rare and sometimes expensive items he bought at auctions.
Photo: Jerome Oxman, 95, shows off his collection of military history at the museum attached to his surplus store in Santa Fe Springs. For his 96th birthday, he'll offer guided tours. For years, one of the most top-secret weapons of World War II sat in a corner of Jerome Oxman's shop, past the stacks of neatly folded fatigues, the rows of olive-drab canteens and a display of combat boots.
The Norden bombsight, a gyroscopically controlled telescope and computer that allowed the U.S. Army Air Forces to zero in on Axis ground targets, was as expensive as it was sophisticated: Each device cost about $122,400 in today's dollars.
Oxman bought his for $9.80. He picked it up when his employer, a Vernon surplus store, sent him to collect a load of government gear in 1950.
The retired bombsight was the first artifact in a vast collection of unusual military castoffs that Oxman would accumulate over 70 years.
By the time he opened his own surplus business in Santa Fe Springs in 1961, Oxman had purchased hundreds of specialized military items at government auction — items that no one else seemed interested in owning. When he found himself always explaining to customers the purpose of equipment scattered around his shop, he decided to open his own military museum.
Now, with Oxman preparing to celebrate his 96th birthday, the museum still draws war buffs and the curious alike.
Near the entrance is an actual B-17 bomber cockpit that visitors are encouraged to crawl into. Oxman bought it in 1963 for $100 from an archeological team that discovered it buried for decades in the sands of the Sahara Desert.
Along one wall is a sprawling collection of inert World War II bombs and artillery shells. Along another are World War II newspaper front pages and a display case containing a 1940s landmine, a pair of "minefield walking shoes" that were supposed to protect foot soldiers and a 75-year-old funnel-like "fighter pilot relief tube."
Nearby is an original case stamped "Librascope Balance Computor" that B-17 pilots used to calculate weight distribution in their aircraft. There's also a 2,800-pound Vietnam War-era Bullpup air-to-ground guided missile, which flew at Mach-1.8.
"I paid $300 for that in 1969," Oxman said, rapping his knuckle on the side of the 14-foot missile.
Among the 1,580 items displayed in the museum are a wartime German Mauser pistol and a 20-millimeter anti-tank gun. An 1862 Norwegian whaling harpoon stands near a small dining area Oxman calls the "Mess Tent Cafe." The menu includes actual military MRE field rations.
There are fighter jet ejector seats that visitors can sit in and a heat-seeking missile whose tip can be unscrewed to show the actual heat sensor.
"Look at how lightweight this is. It's some sort of composite metal," said Filipe Cortes, a 34-year-old Whittier musician who was accompanied by neighbor Terry Kestler, 54. "I'm seeing things here I never thought I'd see."
The recently enlarged museum, which is free to the public, operates in conjunction with Oxman's surplus store at 14128 E. Rosecrans Ave. The shop is operated by Oxman, his wife of 63 years, Miriam, and his sons Murray, 61, and Jason, 49. A third son, Brian, 59, is a defense attorney whose clients have included Michael Jackson.
The family stages occasional special events at the museum, such as the recent "Lunch with a Hero." The Saturday gathering featured World War II D-Day paratrooper-medic Edwin Pepping, 88, of Whittier.
Miriam Oxman said she enjoys the military collection as much as her husband does.
Pointing to a parabolic mirror from a World War II signaling device, she recounted how a customer once placed her handbag in front of the curved glass.
"We weren't paying attention, and the sun was hitting it just right, and it set her purse on fire," she said.
Oxman said his museum pieces are not for sale, even though private collectors often beg him to part with items. He said he once sold four surplus B-29 engines and propellers from a group of eight he purchased in 1964 for $400. He sold the engines to a private group that was restoring a bomber that had crash-landed in Greenland in 1947.
The 1995 salvage attempt of the Superfortress spy plane called the Kee Bird failed, however.
"After they had repaired it and were taking off, it caught fire and was destroyed," Oxman said. "I've got one B-29 engine here on display. I sure wish I had one of those propellers back."
Oxman's family said they plan to commemorate his 96th birthday with special museum tours conducted by him personally on June 25.
During the tours, Oxman will describe how the Space Shuttle servo activator he has on display heats its wing controls and how he came to acquire the $187,000 device "with a lot of other stuff" for $235.
He will talk about the Norden Bombsight too.
"It was so secret it was set up with explosives to blow up if the plane was shot down or captured," he said.
And Oxman — who first became fascinated with military equipment while serving three years on a U.S. Army supply route in Iran during World War II — will explain how the surplus business has changed in his lifetime.
"There used to be so much surplus equipment stored by aircraft companies and military bases all over the country," he said. "Now, it's hard to find."
Mob of colored boys suspected in 4 assaults
Photo: From left: Dvonte "STD" Sykes, Trovolus "Bitch Boi" Pickett, Derodte "Wrong" Wright One man was smoking a cigar Saturday night on a bench in the Streeterville neighborhood when his evening was interrupted by a group of young men who robbed and beat him. Another man was parking his motor scooter outside Northwestern University’s downtown campus when the same group apparently made him their next victim, police said.
Police believe the group of about 15 to 20 youths in their mid- to late teens also was responsible for two more attacks moments later along the lakefront.
At least seven people thought to be part of the group were arrested Saturday in connection with the robberies and mob action, a crime that has become a problem inStreeterville, the Gold Coast and theMagnificent Mile, authorities said.
Five youths were charged early Monday in connection with a series of robbery events that occurred about 8:30 p.m. Saturday in the area of the 700 block of North Chicago Avenue, police said.
Dvonte Sykes, 17, of the 7500 block of South Normal Avenue was charged with two felony counts of robbery and one count of mob action violence to person and property.
Two 16-year-old boys also were charged in a juvenile delinquency petition for the same incident. One boy was charged with a felony count of robbery and one count of mob action violence to person and property, police said. The other boy was charged with one count of misdemeanor theft, control of stolen property of less than $300 and mob action. The youths were not named because they are juveniles.
Two other youths, Trovolus Pickett, 17 and Derodte Wright, 18, were charged in connection with a robbery on the 300 block of East Chicago Avenue, police said.
Pickett of the 8400 block of South Dorchester Avenue was charged with three felony counts of robbery, this includes the robbery committed on the North Lake Shore Drive. Wright of the 3500 block of South State Street was charged with one count of felony robbery for the incident on East Chicago Avenue, police said.
In mid-May, Chicago police started implementing strategies to address mob action incidents, which are often coordinated via text messages or social networking websites, in downtown and neighborhoods near it. Police said the youths in many cases come downtown using mass transit.
Police, however, have stressed that this phenomenon, involving large groups of teens, is not unique to Chicago. Philadelphia has had problems with mobs of teenagers, who also used social networking technology, assaulting pedestrians and vandalizing property since at least last year, according to media reports.
The latest incidents in Chicago apparently started about 8:20 p.m. Saturday, when a 68-year-old man from Washington state was sitting on a bench smoking a cigar in the 300 block of East Chicago Avenue as the young men approached, authorities said. The group beat him, robbed him of an iPad and BlackBerry and fled the scene, authorities said.
What authorities believe was the same group also approached a 34-year-old man as he parked his motor scooter outside a building on Northwestern’s downtown campus along East Chicago Avenue, just west of Lake Shore Drive. One of the males in that group threw a baseball at the victim's face and knocked him to the ground, and several others allegedly punched and hit him multiple times.
Authorities said the group attacked two more men moments later on a nearby bicycle path. One was a 42-year-old man visiting from Japan, who was beaten up and had his iPod stolen from him. The other was a man in his 20s who was punched and had his bike, wallet and iPhone taken.
None of the victims was seriously hurt.
On Sunday afternoon, the buzzing of a Chicago police helicopter flying back and forth along Lake Michigan could be heard nearby at Lake Shore Park, at Chicago Avenue and Lake Shore Drive. Police also said they are monitoring surveillance cameras on Michigan and Chicago avenues, State Street and the beaches.
Nellie Maldonado and her boyfriend, Pete Tirado, who operates a hot dog stand outside the park’s field house, said that during the weekdays they have seen packs of 10 or more teens occupy the benches several feet away from where Tirado sets up shop. The way they talk and how they dress, Tirado said, makes it appear as if they were part of a street gang.
“When I see these (benches) get loaded with (those teens), I pick up and leave,” said Tirado, who also had his stand at the same spot last year.
Tirado and Maldonado were working at the stand Saturday, but they left during the afternoon thunderstorm. They said they heard on Sunday about at least one of the attacks from customers.
“I’m not going to run away from here, but I don’t stay after a certain time,” said Tirado, who added he usually leaves the park around 7:30 p.m. at the latest.
Other recent mob actions downtown include one in April, when a group of about 70 youths stormed a McDonald's restaurant at State Street and Chicago Avenue and created a disturbance. The restaurant was closed for nearly three hours.
In February, Loyola University Chicago warned its Water Tower campus students and staffers about “flash mob offenders” who would exit from Chicago Avenue's CTA Red Line station and allegedly steal items from retail stores around the campus.
Although there were reports of violent disturbances on North Avenue Beach on Memorial Day, acting police Superintendent Garry McCarthy told reporters later in the week that the beach was closed early because overcrowding made it difficult for ambulances to respond to people on the beach suffering from heat exhaustion.
Saturday's attacks happened in the Near North Police District, which includes areas of downtown such asStreeterville, the Gold Coast and theMagnificent Mile.
Crime statistics for those particular portions of the district weren't immediately available. But districtwide numbers show there were 141 robberies between January and the end of April, compared with 128 during the same time period the year before.
Although police have said retail theft was down by nearly 2 percent in the district between January and the end of April, there was an increase of at least 10 percent in juvenile shoplifting arrests.
Police and merchants stepped up security efforts after a rash of youth shoplifting incidents in February, said John Chikow, president of the Greater North Michigan Avenue Association. Chikow said police and individual merchants are monitoring social networking sites, the lines of communication apparently used by some teens to coordinate mobs.
“The best indicator that the police are doing their job and the community is reporting the incidents is an uptick (in arrests),” Chikow said.
From inside his newsstand on the corner of Chicago and Michigan, Jignesh Moodi said he has watched teen shoplifters apparently coordinating group assaults on stores via cellphone.
“They’re on their phones and you see one outside say, ‘Go!’ and the ones inside grab stuff and run out,” Moodi said. “They try to run up and take my magazines.”
Pausing from passing out fliers for a discount men’s store in the 400 block of North Michigan on Sunday, Joseph Reyes recalled being roughed up by a mob of about a dozen teens in October while he was wearing a gorilla suit to promote a Halloween store. Similar groups tried to shoplift from the store, prompting owners to hire private security.
“I’m from a bad neighborhood, and these kids are from some messed-up neighborhoods,” Reyes said. “This is the best part of the city. This is our bread and butter. Why would you want to mess that up?”
Skyes, Pickett and Wright are scheduled to appear in bond court later Monday.
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