Man charged in series of robberies on the NW Side

A 49-year-old man who was arrested minutes after he tried to rob a Walgreens Drug Store on New Year's Eve has been charged in a series of similar robberies on the Northwest Side.
Robert E. Williams, of the 1000 block of North Kedzie Avenue, was charged with five counts of aggravated robbery and violating his probation.
Williams was arrested on New Year's Eve after he walked into the Walgreens store on the 2400 block of West North Avenue at 3:08 p.m.
After entering the store, he approached the cashier and announced that he was committing a robbery and implied that he had a weapon.
The 28-year-old cashier handed over cash to Williams who then left the store. As he tried to flee, two people who noticed what had happened, tackled the man and held him for police.
Shakespeare District officers then responded took him into custody. Police also found the money that he had just received in the robbery.
During the investigation police discovered that Williams had also been responsible for other robberies including the robbery of a gas station on the 2800 block of North Ashland Avenue on Dec. 29.
In most cases, Williams approached cashiers, supposedly to purchase items, and then announced a robbery.  In all of the incidents, Williams  threatened the victims by implying he had a weapon

Shootings in Chicago October 16, 17 2013

 Man shot in Wicker Park

A man was shot and wounded in the Wicker Park neighborhood while visiting his grandmother. The shooting happened about 3:55 a.m. in the 1200 block of North Wolcott Avenue.
The man, 24, was standing on a sidewalk with a friend when they got into an argument with two others. One of the other two pulled a gun and shot the man in the leg.
He was wounded in the upper right leg and taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition.

19-year-old shot in Lower West Side

A man was shot in the 2100 block of South Ashland Avenue, police said. The 19-year-old was taken to John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County.
He was in an alley with another man when the pair heard shots. Four shell casings were found nearby and police said a man with long hair was seen running from the scene. Police suspect that a rivalry between two gangs, one of which the 19-year-old affiliates with, led to this shooting.

29-year-old shot in Lincoln Park

Just after 8 p.m. on the North Side, a man walked into a Walgreen's in the 1500 block of West Fullerton Avenue bleeding from gunshot wounds to his chest, hip and leg.
The 29-year-old was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center but it's not clear where he had been shot because he wouldn't cooperate with investigators

Man charged in Wicker Park homicide

A 29-year-old man was charged with shooting another man to death on Milwaukee Avenue early Saturday morning. 
Manuel Gonzalez, of the 2600 block of North Sacramento Avenue in the Logan Square neighborhood, was charged early Sunday morning. He's due in court later today, charged with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.
Two other men questioned by police were released without being charged
The shooting happened in a crowded nightlife district on the 1500 block of North Milwaukee Avenue. Police said Gonzalez shot 19-year-old Miguel Delgado, of the 2500 block of North Kildare Avenue in the Belmont Gardens neighborhood, about 2:30 a.m. Saturday.

Man shot to death in Wicker Park

A 19-year-old man was shot and killed outside crowded bars on Milwaukee Avenue overnight. 
The shooting overnight happened about 2:20 a.m. in the 1500 block of North Milwaukee Avenue and the man died at the scene.
Police in the area heard the gunfire that left the man dead and found him face up in the street across from a bar.

Man dies after shooting in Wicker Park

A 34-year-old man was pronounced dead today after he was shot last Friday in Wicker Park.
Emmanuel Bass of the 1300 block of North Leavitt Street was shot Friday at about 11:23 p.m.
He was shot after an argument in the park, 1425 N. Damen Avenue.
Bass was pronounced dead today at 8:59 a.m. at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center where he had been listed in critical condition.
Along with Bass a 25-year-old man had been injured from a shooting.

Shootings in Chicago since blog has been down

36-year-old man shot in South Shore

Around 9:45 p.m., a 36-year-old man standing on a sidewalk in the Jackson Park Highlands neighborhood was shot in the back by someone inside a silver four-door sedan.
The shooting happened near 69th Street and Jeffery Boulevard. The man was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and was stable

29-year-old man shot in Englewood

A  29-year-old man was shot in the hip in Englewood. The man driving an SUV south on Halsted Street when he was shot at 67th Street. He stopped at 69th Street and was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center.

3 people shot in Chatham

In the West Chatham neighborhood, a man was shot and two other people struck with shards of glass around 10:55 a.m. in the 8300 block of South Lafayette Avenue.
One man was shot in the hip and shoulder and taken to Stroger Hospital. The two people hit by flying glass were taken in good condition to Saint Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center.

 35-year-old man shot in Humboldt Park

At about 4:15 p.m., a 35-year-old man shot in the abdomen and bicep walked into Norwegian-American Hospital. He told police he had been shot in the 3800 block of West Grand Avenue.

25-year-old man was shot in  LeClaire Courts

Just before 1 a.m., a 25-year-old man was shot in the upper part of his leg or his groin in the LeClaire Courts neighborhood on the Southwest Side. Police found the man in an alley in the 4500 block of South Lawler Avenue

22-year-old man shot in Longwood Manor

A  22-year-old man was shot about 9:40 p.m. in the 900 block of West 96th Street in the Longwood Manor neighborhood. The man was driving eastbound when someone in a black SUV fired into his vehicle. He was hit in the buttocks and shoulder after crashing into a pole and was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where his condition had stabilized

20 year old man shot in Hermosa

A man, 20, was shot in the Hermosa neighborhood about 8:40 p.m. Police said the 20-year-old, who was shot in the 1800 block of North Keeler Avenue, was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital with a wound to his leg and groin.

28-year-old man shot in Humboldt Park

In  the city's West Humboldt Park neighborhood, a 28-year-old man was standing on the street in the 1100 block of North Keystone Avenue when a van pulled up and a passenger fired shots, hitting him in the buttocks. Paramedics found him a short distance away and he was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition

Man shot in Chatham

At 1:30 p.m. in the Chatham neighborhood, someone shot a man in his 20s in the back in the 8000 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue. The man, who was shot twice, was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition

23-year-old man shot by Police in Woodlawn

In a police shooting early this morning, police working in the West Woodlawn neighborhood on the South Side heard gunfire, drove toward it and found a 23-year-old man shooting a handgun toward others.
The shooting happened about 2:10 a.m. near the intersection of 63rd Street and King Drive and the man police shot was taken to an area hospital with injuries that are not considered life-threatening.
Patrol officers working the Violence Reduction Initiative were patrolling when they saw a person shooting at an unknown target.
The officers got out of their car and announced their office but the man turned toward police with the gun, so they opened fire, said Camden, the spokesman for the Fraternal Order of Police.
Officers fired when the man turned toward them with the weapon raised.
The man ran after the officers fired and turned two more times toward police with the gun still in his hand, Camden said. It wasn't until the third time that he turned that the officers hit him, in the leg.
The man ran into a nearby apartment, where he was found, Camden said. Police blocked all four points of access to the intersection and brought a light truck to the scene to help search for evidence. 
Police collected a 9-millimeter handgun as evidence, Camden said. No officers were injured

2 men shot in wicker Park

At about 11:23 p.m. Friday night during an argument in Wicker Park in the 1400 block of N. Damen Avenue, a 35-year-old man was shot in the abdomen and taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in critical condition and a 25-year-old was taken to John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County. 
Police said both men had documented gang affiliations and long criminal histories.

Man shot in Back of the Yards

At about 4:02 a.m., a man was shot in the mouth and is in critical condition at Mount Sinai Hospital. Someone shot him near Garfield Boulevard and Western Avenue in the Back of the Yards neighborhood

18-year-old man shot in Little Village

An 18-year-old man leaning out the back window of a car shouting gang slogans toward a group was shot by someone in the group. Police said the man was hit in the back and arm and is in critical condition at Mount Sinai Hospital. The shooting happened near 26th Street and Lawndale Avenue in Little Village. 

 22-year-old man shot in South Shore

At about 2:20 a.m., someone shot a 22-year-old man in the chest and buttocks. The shooter was refused entry to a house party in the 7800 block of South South Shore Drive in the South Shore neighborhood. After being told he couldn't come in, he fired into the house, hitting the 22-year-old.

63-year-old man shot on Near West Side

Someone shot a 63-year-old man about 1:50 a.m. near the United Center on the Near West Side. The man was wounded in the 2100 block of West Van Buren Street and taken to Stroger hospital. He's being held on suspicion of unlawful use of a weapon because police found a gun in his SUV, which was found on Western Avenue.

18-year-old woman shot in Little Village

Just before midnight, an 18-year-old woman was shot in the 3000 block of South Tripp Avenue in Little Village. She was in a car with two women and two men, and the group drove the wounded woman to Loretto Hospital in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side. The two men disappeared by the time police arrived, though. Someone on the street fired toward the car after throwing other items toward the car

34-year-old man shot in Garfield Park

At about 4:45 a.m., a 34-year-old man was shot in the 3900 block of West Wilcox Street in the East Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side.
The man had been sitting in a vehicle when someone approached and opened fire, hitting him multiple times in the chest and leg.  He was taken to Mount Sinai, where he was listed in serious condition.

3 people shot in Roseland

Three people were shot about 2:50 a.m. in the 0-100 block of West 114th Street in the Roseland neighborhood on the Far South Side. One of them, a 25-year-old man, was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in critical condition.
A 19-year-old woman was shot in the hand and taken to Advocate Christ, and a 27-year-old woman was shot in the foot and taken to Roseland Community Hospital. Both their conditions were stabilized.

 19-year-old man shot in Park Manor

A 19-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound to the hand in the Park Manor neighborhood.
The man told police someone in a white car fired at him about 9:50 p.m. in the 6800 block of South Champlain Avenue

North Side man beaten with two-by-four in Wicker Park

25-year-old North Side man was badly beaten with a two-by-four and robbed Sunday afternoon in Wicker Park.
The man was seated on the grass about 1:30 p.m. at Wicker Park, 1425 N. Damen Ave., when a man attacked him with a two-by four – hitting him in the head and body numerous times.
The victim suffered a fractured spine, fractured nose, and his right eye was swollen shut. The attacker took the victim's turquoise-colored Alpine backpack, which contained some clothing, books, and $4.
A Chicago Fire Department ambulance was called and the man, of the Park West neighborhood on the city’s North Side, was taken to Saint Mary's Hospital in serious but "stable" condition.  
The attacker, a  6-feet-1-inch man with a shaved head who weighs 185 pounds and is between the ages of 25 and 30, fled after the attack

home invasion suspect subdued by off duty cop

A 19-year-old man is accused of breaking into the home of an off-duty Chicago Police officer who was sleeping Thursday morning in the Wicker Park neighborhood.
The officer injured his hand during the scuffle but no shots were fired.
Elraheem Wilkins, of the 1500 block of North Rockwell Street, was charged with residential burglary, aggravated battery to police, resisting arrest and home invasion, all of which are felonies.
incident happened shortly before 10 a.m. Thursday on Beach Avenue in the Wicker Park neighborhood.
 The officer woke to hear someone walking around in his kitchen and living room area. Knowing no one else was home, he got up and then saw someone carrying his laptop and walking toward a back door in the kitchen.
The officer yelled: “Stop!” and the two men scuffled as Wilkins tried to leave the house.
Wilkins suffered minor injuries and the officer’s right hand was broken during the incident, but the officer was able to get him under control

Wicker Park robber arrested

After officers arrested Jerry Warren Jr. on suspicion of committing a Wicker Park robbery Saturday, the soon-to-be-22-year-old said he only wanted some birthday money.
Warren, of the 2700 block of West Maypole Avenue, is suspected of robbing a 29-year-old woman Saturday in the 1800 block of West Ellen Street about 8 p.m. Saturday. After demanding money and being told that she had none, Warren made off with $4.
A description of the robbery suspect was broadcast to officers, and Warren was detained walking nearby. The victim, who was treated and released for blunt trauma, identified Warren as the robber.
As the 21-year-old was placed in custody, Warren told officers he had been unsuccessful finding a job and just wanted some money before his Dec. 19 birthday,

2 brothers charged in iPhone theft on Northwest Side

Two brothers were charged with armed robbery today after stealing an iPhone on the Northwest Side, a theft that led to one of them getting into a scuffle with police over a gun at a cell phone store.
Dion Rutledge, 25, of the 1100 block of North Harding Street, was charged with armed robbery with a firearm, possession of a firearm by a felon, two counts of resisting a police officer, possession of cannabis and possession of a firearm with no gun card.
The second brother, Delshun Rutledge, 30, of the 2100 block of North Mango Avenue, was charged with one count of armed robbery with a firearm.
Dion Rutledge was arrested Saturday afternoon after scuffling with police at a cell phone store. Police said the phone was stolen from a teenager about 11:55 p.m. Friday in the Cragin neighborhood on the Northwest Side.
At about 5:30 p.m. Saturday, the phone resurfaced at a cell phone store in the 1700 block of West North Avenue in the Wicker Park neighborhood after Dion Rutledge walked in with the phone to get it unlocked.
Store employees were able to recognize that the phone was stolen and alerted the owner and police. Then the store started to get crowded. While Rutledge lingered at the counter waiting to get the phone back, the father of the teen who owned the phone arrived at the store, followed shortly by police.
Police questioned Rutledge until the arrival of the teen, who identified him as his robber.
Meanwhile, Dion Rutledge's girlfriend, who said she was a lawyer, showed up at the store and tried interfering with police. It's not clear if she is actually a lawyer.
As police tried to make an arrest, Rutledge put his hands against the store wall after police stood him up to begin a search. He then reached his right hand across his body for what proved to be a gun that was in his waistband below his white T-shirt. Officers spotted the move and quickly pulled the gun out of his hand.
The arresting officer's partner held the gun while the other officer struggled with the man, eventually using a choke-hold to bring him to the ground and put him into custody.
The teen's father, the only other adult in the room with police, Rutledge and his girlfriend because the store’s clerk had left the front when the commotion started, also tried to help police, pointing to the gun when Rutledge moved toward it.
Police later said the gun was stolen. Rutledge's girlfriend was also arrested and is expected to be charged with obstructing the investigation.
Dion Rutledge later gave up an accomplice, his brother, Delshun, who police arrested at his home on Mango Avenue just after midnight Sunday morning,

Man caught in sex act at playlot

A judge set bail at $75,000 today for a 53-year-old man accused of masturbating while in the presence of children in a Wicker Park playlot this week.
Nicholas T. Raske, of the 1400 block of West Cortez Street, was charged with felony sexual exploitation of a child.
Police said Raske was exposing himself while masturbating in the presence of several children playing at the park
 Raske was taken into custody Wednesday at 5:25 p.m. after someone saw him in the Dean Playground Park in the 1300 block of North Dean Street, masturbating while in the presence of children at 5:10 p.m.

Chicago ghetto flash mob robs Wicker Park store

Man beaten, robbed in Wicker Park

A 43-year-old man was punched in the face and cracked on the head during a robbery early today in the Wicker Park neighborhood.
It happened about 4:30 a.m. outside at the intersection of North and Damen avenues
He was walking when a shirtless man he did not know wearing gray sweatpants approached him and began talking to him and “sparring” with him, as if he was “kidding around,’’.
But he threw a punch that connected and it knocked the victim to the ground.
The victim was also struck in the head, and he was taken to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County where though his condition was “guarded’’ he was expected to survive.
Police said the suspect was described as black man between the ages of 18 and 25, and standing 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-11. He weighs about 150 pounds, was not armed and fled after grabbing the victim’s backpack and something from his pockets.

23-year-old man shot in the Wicker Park neighborhood

At about 1:15 a.m. Saturday, a 23-year-old man was shot on the 1200 block of North Wolcott Avenue in the Wicker Park neighborhood. He was walking with friends when someone walked up and started shooting, hitting the man once in the face and four more times in the body, police said. He's in critical condition at John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, but was awake and talking when police responded to the scene. The shooting is gang related.

Firefighters discover burned woman inside Wicker Park apartment

Chicago firefighters responding to reports of smoke inside a Wicker Park apartment building this morning discovered a woman burned over most of her body.

The fire inside the four-story building in the 1500 block of North Hoyne Avenue was already out by the time fire crews arrived for the 5:11 a.m. incident.
But firefighters found a woman in her 60s with burns on about 90 percent of her body.
The woman was taken by advanced life-support ambulance to Stroger Hospital

Man charged with flower shop attack, robbery

A 24-year-old West Side man was charged with stabbing a Wicker Park flower shop employee in the head and arm during a robbery last week.
Alexander Hampton, of the 3300 block of West Douglas Boulevard, is scheduled to appear in court today, accused of using a cutting instrument from the flower shop to stab the female employee on Feb. 16.
The man was not armed when he entered the Asrai Garden floral shop, 1935 W. North Ave. on Thursday morning and demanded money, police said. He used a note to announce the robbery
The woman working behind the counter resisted, and the man picked up a scissors or shears inside the shop and slashed her face.
She locked herself inside a bathroom, and the robber used the handle of a mop to bang on the door while trying to get at her.
He gave up, grabbed some cash and an iPod.
The employee was taken to John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County. Her injuries were not life threatening.
Hampton was arrested Feb. 20. Police said the robbery appeared to be a random “crime of opportunity’’ and was unrelated to other recent muggings and robberies in the area.

Wicker Park flower shop worker stabbed in robbery

A woman working in a flower shop was stabbed by a robber this morning in the Wicker Park neighborhood.
A man armed with a knife took cash during the attack at Asrai Garden, 1935 W. North Ave..
An employee was injured during the 11:20 a.m. heist
The woman was stabbed and taken in serious condition to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, according to Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford.
UPDATE: Authorities are searching for a robber with a “Tweety Bird’’ tattoo on his neck who slashed the face of a woman working in a flower shop in the Wicker Park neighborhood.
The man was not armed when he entered the Asrai Garden floral shop, 1935 W. North Ave. on Thursday morning and demanded money, police said. The woman working behind the counter resisted, and the man picked up a scissors or shears inside the shop and slashed her face.
The woman locked herself inside a bathroom, and the robber used the handle of a mop to bang on the door while “trying to get at her,’’ . He gave up, grabbed some cash and fled.
The robber was described as a black man 25 to 35 years, 6-foot-3 to 6-foot-4 and weighing 180 to 220 pounds. He had a “Tweety Bird” tattoo on his neck.
UPDATE:
Here- Man charged with flower shop attack, robbery

2 arrested for armed robbery of iPhone in Wicker after great Police work

Two men have been arrested in connection with the robbery of a man's iPhone outside a dry cleaning business in the Wicker Park neighborhood.

The Thursday robbery happened about 5:15 p.m. when a 26-year-old man was texting on his iPhone outside a dry cleaning business at Wabasnia and Western avenues, according to police. Two men approached him, at least one of them armed with a gun, and asked for the iPhone.
The robbers asked the victim if it was password-protected and he said no, police said. The robbers then fled with the phone.
Police were able to track the phone by its locator app to the area of Madison Street and Ashland Avenue, a few blocks from the United Center, police said. The officers spotted the suspects in a car that was reported stolen, but one of them jumped out around the time police began pursuing it. That man was taken into custody near Ashland and Washington Boulevard.
The other suspect headed west in the car on Madison, police said. The suspect stopped near Madison and Leavitt streets and abandoned the car, police said. He was arrested about a block away.
At some point during the vehicle theft, police said, it may have been involved in a crash.