Chicago Police

More Than 100 Arrested in Chicago Looting and Chaos; 13 Officers Injured, Police Say

A security guard and civilian were also struck by gunfire in the unrest, Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said at a news conference

More than 100 people were arrested in the chaos and looting that erupted in downtown Chicago early Monday that also left more than a dozen officers injured, police say.

Chicago Police Supt. David Brown announced the arrests at a news conference Monday morning alongside Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Brown said more than 100 people were arrested for allegations of looting, disorderly conduct and more in the chaos, looting and violence that broke out after midnight in the downtown area.

Video taken in Chicago’s Gold Coast shows looters hitting a business and the aftermath of smashed windows and empty shelves.

The unrest began at around 12:20 a.m., when police were called to reports of a mob scene on Michigan Avenue. Large crowds gathered outside the Saks Fifth Avenue and Coach stores, with hundreds of people yelling and throwing things at officers.

Looters were captured on video in multiple locations, with merchandise taken and storefronts vandalized. Officers were told to respond wearing helmets and there were multiple reports of gunshots.

Thirteen officers were injured in the chaos, Brown said, including a sergeant who was struck with a bottle and another whose nose was broken in an altercation.

Looters swarmed a Walgreens store and Portillo’s in Chicago’s River North neighborhood early Monday.

A security guard and a civilian were also struck by gunfire and taken to area hospitals, Brown said. Five guns were recovered in the events of Monday morning, he added - bringing CPD's total to 149 guns recovered over the weekend.

Just before 5 a.m., a Chicago police spokesman tweeted that shots had been fired at officers who returned fire near the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Lake Street. No officers were injured, Tom Ahern said, adding that it was not known at the time if the offenders were shot.

It appeared as though the looting initially began in the city's Loop, but spread to multiple Chicago neighborhoods in the overnight hours, with reports of businesses struck in River North, Streeterville, Lincoln Park, the Gold Coast and the South Loop as well.

Access to the downtown area will be restricted between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., Brown said.

"A heavy police presence will continue throughout the downtown today and until further notice," Brown said.

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