Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s (D) security team was involved in a gun battle after witnessing an attempted robbery on an elderly man in the city’s Northwest Side.
The unit observed the robbery taking place and exchanged gunfire with the suspects at around 7:00 a.m. Tuesday at the 1800 block of North Monticello Avenue, according to police.
One officer received minor injuries and was treated at the hospital. It is unknown if any of the suspects involved were injured.
No weapon was recovered at the scene and the suspects have also not been identified.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is conducting the investigation into the police shooting. The Chicago Police Department (CPD) noted that the involved will be placed on routine administration duties for 30 days.
Lori Lightfoot, mayor of Chicago, during a news conference in Chicago, Illinois, US, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. Lightfoot defended her public safety strategy on Wednesday after city council members, residents and a watchdog group expressed concerns over police department staffing and a lack of budget transparency. Photographer: Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images
According to Chicago Block Club, the victim of the robbery, Luis Antonio Zayas, 77, was waiting to drop his son off at school when the suspects opened his car, pointed a gun at his head, and demanded he give up his belongings.
He told the outlet he gave the suspects his wallet, before they attempted to pull him out of his vehicle. He called for help amid the commotion, alerting the nearby security detail.
“I was lucky. If I tried fighting, maybe they would’ve killed me,” said Zayas. “You never know what will happen when you have one gun and another gun on the sides of your head. That’s really something. … I’m glad I’m still here.”
In Lightfoot’s Chicago over the past weekend, 35 people were shot, including five who were fatally wounded, Breitbart News reported. On Halloween night Monday, 14 people were shot while attending a vigil, where no one was fatally injured but some are in critical condition.
Overall major crime has increased in the Windy City by 39 percent since this time last year, according to CPD statistics. Robbery is up by 17 percent while carjackings are up by an whopping 87 percent.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.
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