Witnesses Describe Scene After Lawndale Shooting, Police Chase

Neighbors are in shock after a fatal shooting in Chicago’s Lawndale neighborhood on Wednesday that sparked a high-speed police chase that was captured on live television.

That chase, which began in the city’s Lawndale neighborhood, raced down the Eisenhower Expressway, and ultimately ended in Oak Park, led to the arrest of the driver of a vehicle suspected in the shooting, and residents are sharing their stories.

“They called an ambulance to pick him up. That’s when he felt the big holes he had in his side,” one neighbor said.

One of the men hit in the shooting, a 29-year-old, was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital with multiple gunshot wounds to his left torso. He was later pronounced dead.

After the shooting, police were able to locate the white SUV that was involved in the incident thanks to eyewitness accounts from near the scene. After they located the Jeep, the vehicle took off and got onto the Eisenhower Expressway, where it was followed by multiple police vehicles and NBC’s Sky 5 helicopter.

The vehicle weaved its way through side streets, a gas station, and heavy traffic as it made its way through Chicago’s West Side and into Oak Park, and eventually the driver left the vehicle behind resident Larry Rosenstiel’s garage.

“All of a sudden, somebody came running at me, and at first I thought it was just another kid running toward school,” he said. “Then I thought ‘no, he’s trying to get away from something.’ Before I had time to react and block him, he was by me and that’s when police cars came in.”

Other neighbors in the area said that relatives called them and told them about the pursuit, which they had seen on television.

“I got a call from my friend. He said ‘I saw your house on the news,’” Nate brown said. “There were about 10 or 20 cop cars on the street and one in our front yard.”

After the man fled through several yards and across streets, he was finally taken into custody.

There is no word yet if police are seeking any other suspects in the chase, and Area Central Detectives are continuing to investigate the shooting.

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