|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Dozens of stores, banks, and other businesses were broken into during a widespread premeditated attack. The looting took place overnight in downtown Chicago, spreading from the Loop to the Near Northside.
The unrest started at 11 p.m. Aug. 9, 2020, and lasted until Monday morning.
Videos were posted on various social media sites showing cars parked in the middle of the street as looters left their cars in order to steal goods from candy to expensive purses from the damaged stores.
On Sunday, chaos erupted in Englewood after police returned fire at a suspect who started shooting at the officers. The suspect was identified as a 20 year old man after officers shot and wounded the suspect.
Soon after this, videos depicted crowds gathering an hour later leading to a “tense moment with police.” CPD Spt. David Brown confirmed to the public that the sudden looting was no accident and was a coordinated attack.
Bridges surrounding The Loop as well as expressway ramps leading into downtown have been closed to traffic.
During the raid, there was even a report of someone dragging an ATM machine behind them as they try to leave the Loop area. Some people began to take stolen objects from the stores and pack them into a U-Haul truck.
Reporters say that police are responding to reports that some looters may still reside in Block 37.
After the raid ended, business owners to find several of their stores damaged the next day and was forced to board up windows and close down temporarily.
Written by: Brielle R. Buford
Sources
CBS Chicago: LIVE UPDATES: Looting, Unrest Overnight Across Downtown Chicago; The Loop Shut Down
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Ceyhun Jay Isik’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License