Man charged with attacking girl, 15, on way to school

A 25-year-old Northwest Side man has been charged in the mid-December sexual assault of a teenage girl whose injuries were so severe that she remains in critical condition.
Detectives were led to Luis Alberto Pantoja, 25, through DNA that officials collected from a condom wrapper found near the Belmont Cragin backyard where the girl was attacked just before dawn Dec. 17.
Pantoja was arrested at his home on Friday without incident, police said in a statement, saying additional physical evidence was recovered then.
Pantoja, of the 5500 block of West Wrightwood Avenue, is charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated criminal sexual assault, aggravated battery and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. He was ordered held without bail during a hearing today.
Authorities asked for a sign language interpreter during the hearing. Pantoja is hearing-impaired.
Pantoja was found with a gun -- police said in a release it was a .32-caliber revolver-- but it's unclear if he had it during the attack.
The attack happened in 2400 block of North Long Avenue about 5:25 a.m. The girl was found by a neighbor about two hours later, half-clothed and bleeding from the head.
Further investigation showed that the girl was actually attacked an hour earlier than detectives originally thought. When she was attacked at 5:25 a.m. on Dec. 17, the girl was on her way to catch a bus so that she can meet her father, who was to give her a ride to school.
He said the girl would usually leave a little later in the morning to do all that, which is why police thought the attack initially occurred later in the morning.
The DNA evidence was submitted to the Combined DNA Index System -- a federal database that tracks DNA profiles of convicted felons. Chicago police acquired a match from that database because Pantoja had been required to submit a sample of his DNA to law enforcement following a felony conviction for his role in a fatal 2007 traffic crash.
In that case, Pantoja was sentenced to six years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after pleading guilty on March 4, 2008 to possession of a stolen motor vehicle and failure to report a traffic crash that involved death. In the plea deal, charges of reckless homicide and failure to report an accident involving death were dropped.
Police officials declined to say who identified Pantoja as the attacker in the Dec. 17 attack on the 15-year-old.
The 15-year-old girl was initially reported in a coma with severe head injuries. Late last month, officials said the girl's condition had improved and she was talking with police. Police said in a news release today that she remained in critical condition at Mt. Sinai Hospital.
Pantoja has a long criminal record dating back to 2005, with arrests and charges for theft, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, domestic battery after an order of protection was filed, trespassing, possession of cannabis, failure to report an accident involving death/reckless homicide, leaving the scene of accident, and eluding police.
In August of 2013, Pantoja was arrested for criminal sexual assault. On Aug. 29, a public defender was appointed and appeared before Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil, who set bail of $200,000.
On Pantoja's next court date Sept. 17, Judge Laura Marie Sullivan dismissed the charge on a finding of no probable cause

28-year-old man shot in Belmont Cragin

About 4:30 a.m., a 28-year-old man was shot multiple times as he sat in the driver's seat of a double-parked SUV in the 4800 block of West Deming Place.
A red SUV pulled alongside his vehicle and someone opened fire. The man was struck in the head and upper body and taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition.

Girl, 15, beaten, assaulted

The 15-year-old girl left home for school early on Tuesday, sometime after 6 a.m., and headed for a bus stop down the block in the Belmont-Cragin neighborhood on the Northwest Side. She didn't get far.
Around 8 a.m., a neighbor went outside for a smoke and saw the girl sprawled on the ground in the back yard in the 2400 block of North Long Avenue. There was a pool of blood around her head and her pants were off. She didn't say anything but was moving slightly
The girl was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where police said she was in critical condition with severe head injuries. A police source said she was in a medically induced coma.
Detectives believe the girl was hit in the head while walking down the street to grab a bus at Long and Fullerton that would take her to a charter school about six miles away. She was then dragged into a backyard and assaulted. Police found her lying near the back door, bleeding from the back of her head and covered in blood.
She was still wearing a jacket but her pants were off, according to the police report. She was awake "but very lethargic, possibly suffering from hypothermia," the police report said. Blood was splattered across the yard and down the gangway along the house
The attack happened less than half a block from one of Chicago Public Schools' Safe Passage routes, patrolled areas that were set up for the current school year to help students who have longer walks in the wake of dozens of elementary school closings.
Chicago police spokesman Adam Collins said this morning the route near the assault was staffed beginning at 6:30 a.m., apparently after the attack happened.

Man broke in, tried to molest woman sleeping with her child

A West Side man was ordered held in lieu of $250,000 bail Sunday after he allegedly crept into the bedroom of a woman and tried to molest her as she slept with her young child.
Artemio Martinez, 18, of the 2000 block of North Neva Avenue, faces attempted criminal sexual abuse, residential burglary and trespassing charges in connection to the incident, which took place early Saturday in the 2600 block of North Mobile Avenue in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood.
Martinez allegedly opened the rear window of the victim's Northwest Side apartment at about 1:20 a.m. Saturday and entered her bedroom, where she slept with her 7-year-old daughter.
He began rubbing the woman's shoulders and kissing her on the lips, waking her up in the process.
The woman asked who was there, Martinez said "It's me," and the woman realized it wasn't her husband.
She turned on her cell phone light, saw Martinez and began screaming. This roused her daughter, who also began screaming.
Martinez fled the apartment.
The victim, who did not know Martinez, called the police and officers found Martinez "highly intoxicated" and hiding behind a tree nearby.
The woman positively identified Martinez.
Martinez admitted to knowing the victim was inside the house and that he wanted to "make out" with the woman, which according to Martinez meant he wanted to have sex with her

3 charged in Northwest Side home invasion

A Chicago man kicked in a bedroom window with his heel, striking the home’s resident and then lowered a pit bull through the window before entering it during a home invasion on Thursday.
The man, Manuel Martinez, 28, of the 2100 bock of N. LaPorte Ave, was arrested Thursday, shortly after the invasion,  in an alley near the apartment in the 2100 block of N. Lavergne Ave. after victims flagged down a passing motorist who called the police.
Manuel, along with two relatives who were with him, also pointed a BB gun at two victims , who had just returned home from a party.
Martinez was charged with two counts of armed home invasion, a Class X felony, 2 counts of aggravated assault, a Class A misdemeanor and one count of unlawful use of a weapon.
Two relatives of Martinez, Tony Martinez, 27, and Jesse Martinez, 25, were also arrested in the incident. Kent said Tony Martinez carried a sub-machine gun and pointed it at the victims, while Jesse Martinez served as a look-out while Manuel Martinez was in the unit.

Shootings in Chicago August 15, 16, 2013

15-year-old girl, 16-year-old boy and man shot in Park Manor

A  15-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy were shot as they left a basketball game around 11:30 p.m. just east of Martin Luther King Drive in the Park Manor neighborhood. A 49-year-old man was also shot.
The 16-year-old was in critical condition with a chest wound at Stroger Hospital and the 15-year-old was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital in good condition, suffering from a leg wound. The man walked into the University of Chicago Hospital with a gunshot wound to the groin and also in good condition.
The three were shot by at least one gunman who fired from a nearby alley. 

Two 15-year-old boys shot in Bronzeville

Two 15-year-old boys were shot in the 3800 block of South Vincennes Avenue in the Ida B. Wells/Darrow Homes neighborhood. One was taken to Comer Children's Hospital with a wound to the leg and the other taken to Mercy Hospital and Medical Center with a graze wound to the shoulder

 27-year-old man shot in South Chicago

Around 9:25 p.m., a 27-year-old man was shot in the 8500 block of South Oglesby Avenue in the South Chicago neighborhood. He was in critical condition at Northwestern Memorial Hospital with wounds to the neck and chest

52-year-old man shot in west Pullman

A  52-year-old man was wounded around 1:20 a.m. Thursday in the West Pullman neighborhood. The man was shot in the 11500 block of South State Street and taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in stable condition with a wound to the leg.

21 year old man shot in West Pullman

A man was shot and critically wounded in the West Pullman neighborhood, but apparently was driven by private car to a hospital instead of taken via ambulance.
The man, 21, walked into Roseland Hospital about 9:25 a.m., after suffering multiple gunshot wounds.
Police had to check the area for a crime scene, determining that the man likely was shot about 9:15 a.m. near 115th Street and Wentworth Avenue

2 people shot in Brainerd

Two people were wounded this afternoon in a shooting on the South Side in the city's Brainerd neighborhood.
The shooting happened shortly after 1 p.m. on the 9000 block of South Marshfield Avenue.
A male victim was shot in the buttocks and a woman, 34, was shot in the leg and buttocks

Man shot in West Pullman

At about 10:40 p.m. a man was shot in the 12600 block of South Eggleston Avenue in the West Pullman neighborhood. He was shot in the abdomen and taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center.

Man shot in Belmont Cragin

Someone shot a man in the face in the 1700 block of North Linder Avenue. He was taken to Loyola University Medical Center

18 and 19 year old men shot in West Pullman

About 12:05 a.m., two teens were shot in the 12200 block of South Halsted Street in the West Pullman neighborhood. A 19-year-old man shot in the head was left in critical condition and another, 18, was shot in the right arm and taken to Metro South Medical Center

18-year-old man shot in canaryville

Someone shot a 18-year-old in the leg and back in the Canaryville neighborhood about 11:30 p.m. The man was taken to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County from the 4300 block of South Union Avenue.

16-year-old girl shot in Rosemoor

In the Rosemoor neighborhood about 10 p.m., a 16-year-old girl was shot in the leg in the 10100 block of South Prairie Avenue. She was outside with friends when someone across the street fired a gun toward her group

19-year-old man shot in Lawndale

 19-year-old man walked into Mount Sinai Hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest about 9:30 p.m. He had been shot in the 2600 block of West 21st Place and dropped off at the hospital by a friend. He was in a group when he heard shots and felt pain

 15-year-old boy, 22-year-old man shot in Englewood

Two people were shot in Englewood about 9:15 p.m. in the 1200 block of west 73rd Street. A 15-year-old boy was hit in the leg and taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center and a 22-year-old was taken to Saint Bernard Hospital  with a wound to his buttocks. Police say they were on a porch when someone opened fire from a passing green car.

2 men shot in Calumet Heights

A shooting in the Calumet Heights neighborhood about 7:15 p.m. left two men wounded. The pair walked into Mercy Hospital & Medical Center - a 25-year-old with a wound to the wrist and a 35-year-old with a wound to the shoulder. Both are in good condition.

23-year-old man shot in Marquette Park

About 3:15 p.m., a 23-year-old man walked into Holy Cross Hospital with a gunshot wound to the wrist. He had been shot in the 7100 block of South Kedzie Avenue.

 30-year-old man  shot in the leg

About 3:07 p.m., a 30-year-old man was shot in the leg in the 5900 block of South Spaulding Avenue. He was stabilized at a local hospital

16 year old girl and man shot in Austin

Two people were shot in the South Austin neighborhood about 11:05 p.m. in the 4800 block of West Walton Street. They were shot near the corner of Cicero Avenue and Walton Street and taken to West Suburban Medical Center in good condition. A 16-year-old girl was shot in the leg and taken in an ambulance and a 21-year-old man showed up at the same hospital with a leg wound

Man charged in fatal June shooting, wounding of 3 others

A 20-year-old man was charged this morning for a June shooting that killed a man and seriously wounded three others in the city's Kelvin Park neighborhood.
Miguel Vazquez of the 2500 block of Neva Avenue was charged today with first-degree murder, three counts of attempted first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated battery discharge of a firearm.
The charges stem from a June 21 shooting that happened shortly before 8 p.m. on the 2900 block of North Kilpatrick Avenue on the Northwest Side.
The four victims were standing on a front porch when Vazquez approached on foot and fired multiple times, striking the four.
Rene Segundo Soto, 21, who lived on the same block were the shooting occurred, was taken to John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County where he was pronounced dead at 8:42 p.m..
The three other victims were all taken in serious-to-critical condition to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center

Shootings in Chicago August 2-3- 4, 2013

21-year-old man Roseland

A 21-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound on the 11800 block of South Michigan Avenue.
The man was taken to Advocate Christ medical center in serious-to-critical condition

16-year-old boy and an 18-year-old man  shot in Belmont Cragin

At about 7:20 p.m., a 16-year-old boy and an 18-year-old man were shot on the 2300 block of North Melvina Avenue in the Belmont Central neighborhood.
The younger victim was shot in the arm and leg and the older man sustained a graze wound to his ankle

 27-year-old man shot in Austin

A 27-year-old man was shot in the 300 block of South Cicero Avenue about 3:30 a.m. He was hit in the abdomen and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital

18-year-old man  shot in Garfield Park

At about 2:55 a.m., an 18-year-old man was shot in the 3900 block of West Madison Street in the East Garfield Park neighborhood. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital with a gunshot wound to the shoulder

Two women, 18 and 19,  shot in Englewood

Two women, 18 and 19, were shot in the 5600 block of South Ada Street in the Englewood neighborhood about 2:50 a.m. The older woman was shot in the arm and the younger was grazed in the hand. They told police they “heard shots and felt pain” as they were leaving a party on the block. Both were taken to St. Bernard Hospital and Healthcare Center.

33-year-old man shot in Archer Heights

At about 2 a.m., someone shot a 33-year-old man in his upper back in the 5100 block of South Kostner Avenue in the Archer Heights neighborhood. He was in the back yard with others when the shooter approached on foot and opened fire from the alley. He fled south down the alley. The man was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center and his condition stabilized

 22-year-old man shot in Garfield Park

A 22-year-old man walked into Rush Hospital and Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the leg about 1:50 a.m. He told police he had been shot in the 200 block of South Central Park Avenue in the East Garfield Park neighborhood. He was later transferred to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County and his condition was stabilized

 17-year-old boy  shot in Humboldt Park

A 17-year-old boy was shot in the Humboldt Park neighborhood about 11:20 p.m. He was walking with about a group when someone inside a passing dark car started shooting, Greer said. The boy was hit in the chest and taken to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County.

 17-year-old boy shot in Englewood

 A 17-year-old boy was shot after getting into an argument with his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend in the Englewood neighborhood. The shooting happened about 12:30 a.m. in the 7300 block of South Green Street. The boy, who was shot in the groin, was taken to Christ hospital in serious condition.

Male shot in Little Village

The  shooting happened near the intersection of 27th Street and Kedvale Avenue in the Little Village neighborhood. A male whose age wasn't immediately available was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital with multiple gunshot wounds

51-year-old man shot in Lawndale

At about 3:25 a.m. in the 3300 block of West Douglas Boulevard in the Lawndale neighborhood, a 51-year-old man who was standing outside was shot once in each thigh. He drove himself to Loretto Hospital andvis in stable condition

27-year-old man  shot in Little Village

A 27-year-old man was shot in the foot in the 2400 block of South Washtenaw Avenue in the Little Village neighborhood. He drove himself to Mount Sinai Hospital. He’s in stable condition.

22-year-old man shot in Chicago Lawn

Police pulled over a speeding car on Garfield Boulevard at Racine Avenue in Englewood and found a 22-year-old man inside who had been shot in the arm. The man had been shot in the 5900 block of South Maplewood Avenue in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood about 2:55 a.m. He’s at Stroger hospital in stable condition, police said. Someone shot him when he was getting into his car

23-year-old man shot in Grand Crossing

At about 2:15 a.m., a man was shot near 71st Street and Rhodes Avenue in the Grand Crossing neighborhood. The 23-year-old heard shots and felt painand was taken to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County with a thigh wound.

24-year-old man shot in Bronzeville

A 24-year-old man drove to a gas station at 47th Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive after someone shot him in the hand in the 4800 block of South Prairie Avenue about 12:55 a.m. The man was taken from the gas station to Stroger hospital.

 20-year-old man shot in Bronzeville during robbery

Someone dropped a 20-year-old man off at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center with a gunshot wound about 12:10 a.m. Two men approached the man in the 4000 block of South Prairie Avenue, demanded money and started beating him. The man tried to flee and was shot once in the leg.

17-year-old boy shot in South Deering

On the Far South Side, 17-year-old boy was shot near 107th Street and Hoxie Avenue in the South Deering neighborhood about 8:15 p.m. The boy was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in stable condition with a wound to the right arm

Shootings in Chicago July 31- August 1,, 2013

26-year-old man shot in Garfield Park

A man was shot at a West Side bus stop early this morning
The 26-year-old man was shot in the leg around 3:15 a.m. near Jackson Boulevard and Pulaski Road at a bus stop for a westbound Jackson bus. Police found two shell casings from a small caliber gun, possibly a .22. The man was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital.

17-year-old boy shot in Belmont Cragin

A 17-year-old boy was shot in the 2100 block of North Mulligan Avenue about 9:50 p.m. He was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in good condition with a wound to his thigh

17-year-old boy shot in Englewood

A 17-year-old boy was shot in the back near 70th Street and Perry Avenue about 8 p.m. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, where his condition was stabilized.

24-year-old man in Lawndale

A 24-year-old man was shot near 24th Street and Washtenaw Avenue about 8:20 pm. He walked into Mount Sinai Hospital with a gunshot wound to the arm and was listed in good condition.

35-year-old man  shot in Englewood

A 35-year-old man was shot in the 5800 block of South Winchester Avenue about 4:30 p.m. He was shot in the leg and arm and taken to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County.

40-year-old man and 19-year-old shot in Washington Park

A 40-year-old man and 19-year-old man both sustained buttocks wounds when someone fired toward them at least 7 times on 57th Street just east of State Street in the Washington Park neighborhood. 
The shooting happened before 12:30 a.m. and both men were taken John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County.  Both are in critical condition

36-year-old man shot in Garfield Park

A 36-year-old man shot in the East Garfield Park neighborhood took a cab to Northwestern Memorial Hospital to get treatment for his wound. Police said he was shot in the big toe about 10:25 p.m. in the 3900 block of West Madison Street

20-year-old man shot in Lawndale

Someone shot a 20-year-old man in the Lawndale neighborhood about 10:35 p.m. He and a couple others were standing in front of an apartment building when a man in a red shirt approached and started shooting, according to neighbors. The man was hit twice, in the chest and abdomen, and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital.

54-year-old man shot in Woodlawn

In the Woodlawn neighborhood on the South Side, a 54-year-old man was grazed in an attack about 10:15 p.m. He was treated for his wound at the scene, in the 6100 block of South Park Shore East Court

Body pulled from lagoon on Northwest Side

The body of a man, described as in his 20s or 30s, was pulled from a lagoon in Riis Park this afternooon on the city's Northwest Side.
About 4:30 p.m., police were alerted to someone in a lagoon located on the 6100 block of West Fullerton Avenue.
As of 5 p.m., the Marine Unit was responding to the lagoon where a man was reportedly in the water.
As of 6:50 p.m., police confirmed the man was deceased and said the incident was now a death investigation.

1 dead, 3 critically wounded in Belmont Cragin

One person was killed and three others wounded in a shooting in the Kelvyn Park neighborhood this evening.
Five ambulances were called to the scene of the shootings in the 2900 block of North Kilpatrick Avenue about 8 p.m.
Police confirmed three men and a woman were found with gunshot wounds, citing preliminary information: three on the front porch and one at the bottom of an outside staircase.
Three victims were in critical condition at Illinois Masonic Medical Center, and the other victim was taken to Stroger Hospital but was died there.

Shooting in Chicago June 19, 2013

 15-year-old boy shot in Belmont Cragin

The  shooting happened about 8:20 p.m. on the 1700 block of North Menard Avenue
In that shooting a 15-year-old boy suffered a wound to his abdomen. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where his condition was stabilized

Man shot in Back of the Yards

A man believed in his 50s was shot in the 5400 block of South Damen Avenue about 2:06 p.m.. The man was wounded in the jaw and leg and taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where his condition had stabilized

18-year-old man shot in Lawndale

An 18-year-old man was shot in the 1400 block of South Spaulding Avenue.
The 18-year-old man was shot in the leg and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where his condition was stabilized

Man shot in Englewood

At about 1:40 p.m., a man believed to be in his 20s was shot in the back on the 300 block of West 75th Street, said O'Brien.
He was taken to Stroger Hospital

19 year old man shot in Roseland

A man, age 19, was wounded in the 100 block of West 109th Place and taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition.
The man was believed to have been shot in the back of the head in the 10900 block of South Perry Avenue about 12:15 p.m

17-year-old boy shot in Heart of Chicago

At about 11:05 p.m. in the 1800 block of South Paulina Street in they city's Heart of Chicago neighborhood.
Someone inside a dark-colored vehicle opened fire hitting the victim, a 17-year-old boy, in the abdomen. Someone took him to University of Illinois Medical Center

Two 17-year-old boys shot in Chatham

Two 17-year-old boys were wounded in another shooting in the 8100 block of South Vernon Avenue at 9:08 p.m. One boy was shot in the neck while the other was shot in the back. Those boys were taken to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County where their conditions had stabilized

Person shot in Pilsen

In the East Pilsen neighborhood about 3:15 p.m., one person was shot in the 300 block of South Union Avenue,

27-year-old man shot in Belmont Cragin

At about 8:45 p.m., a 27-year-old man was grazed in the back in the 2000 block of North Laporte Avenue. He refused medical treatment