Latest news with #RiverNorth
CBS News
4 days ago
- CBS News
Chicago police seek 4 suspects in armed robbery at CTA station in River North
Mass Transit detectives are searching for four suspects they said robbed a passenger on a CTA platform in the River North neighborhood earlier this month. They said the suspects approached a passenger on an escalator on July 12, around 12:47 a.m., inside the CTA Red Line-Clybourn Station in the 1500 block of North Clybourn Avenue. They allegedly took the passenger's wallet, money, and hit him in the face. When the victim approached them to retrieve his property, one of them showed a gun. The first suspect was described as a Black man between 18 and 20 years old, standing between 5-feet-8 and 5-feet-11, weighing between 175 and 180 pounds, last seen wearing a black stocking hat, a black short-sleeved shirt, and black pants. The second suspect, a Black man between 18 and 20 years old, stands 5 feet 10 and 6 feet tall. He was last seen wearing a grey/green camouflage stocking hat, a black-colored hoodie with one camouflage sleeve, and light-colored ripped jeans. The third suspect is a Black male between 16 and 18 years of age, between 5-feet-7 and 5-feet-9. He was last seen wearing a black balaclava mask, a black T-shirt, and light-colored jeans with ripped knees. The fourth suspect was described as white/Hispanic, with long dark hair, last seen wearing a black t-shirt and light-colored jeans. Anyone with information is asked to contact 312-745-4447 or submit an anonymous tip at using reference JJ330530.
CBS News
5 days ago
- CBS News
Man beaten and robbed leaving downtown Chicago bar shares warning after learning of similar attack
A man who was attacked in River North while visiting his kids last week is warning others after learning about another similar attack in the neighborhood a short time later. Chicago police sent out a community alert on Monday, warning people in River North to be cautious in the wake of the attacks. Police said a group of 1 to 3 people were going up to bar patrons as they were leaving for the night, and beating and robbing them. That's what happened to one dad who was crossing the Dearborn Street Bridge last Friday night into Saturday morning. Doug Schmitt says he left Howl at the Moon Chicago, a piano bar in River North, around 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning. He was walking back to his hotel over the Dearborn Street Bridge when he was attacked. "I didn't hear anybody behind me, I didn't see anybody behind me, and lights went out," Schmitt said. "When I woke up, I was laying chest-down on the sidewalk. I don't remember getting hit." Schmitt said he doesn't know how long he was laying on the bridge, but he was covered in blood. "Everything was gone," he said. His phone, wallet, and hotel key were nowhere to be found. Schmitt said he got back to the hotel, where staff called him an ambulance to the nearest hospital. "I was hit in the back of the head. It looks like I have road rash back there," he said. He said doctors confirmed he had a concussion. They gave him stitches on his face and glued up a cut on his head. Schmitt said the hardest part was he didn't have a phone, so he couldn't call his family. He was discharged later Saturday morning. Sam, another victim the same night, said he was leaving Boss Bar around 2 a.m. when he was attacked. He was diagnosed with a brain bleed. Schmitt said a friend sent him Sam's story. "If I didn't know any different, I would think that you just used an alias name Sam," Schmitt said. Schmitt said he's now battling dizziness throughout the day. "It was a bad experience. I just wasn't ready for that," he said. While his experience is in the rearview mirror, Schmitt said he wants others to be aware if they are heading out in the area this weekend. "It probably hasn't hit home, but the Chicago P.D. said I was probably pretty lucky," he said. Police said they have no updates, pictures, or videos of the suspects to share at this time. Detectives are still investigating.
CBS News
16-07-2025
- CBS News
Man says he was robbed, brutally attacked while leaving bar in Chicago's River North district
A Chicago man shared his story Tuesday, days after he said he was attacked and robbed after leaving a bar in Chicago's River North district. The man, Sam, said he is a victim of what Chicago police are calling a string of robberies targeting bargoers — with at least four other incidents in River North since mid-June. Now, Sam is dealing with brain bleed. Sam said early this past Saturday morning, he was leaving Boss Bar, at 420 N. Clark St., when he was assaulted. "Next thing you know, I just felt something on the back of my head, and then fell forward," he said. Sam said he was leaving Boss Bar and trying to meet friends at a bar next door when he was hit. He said he does not remember much after the attack, but the attackers took his phone, watch, and wallet. Sam said he somehow got himself to the Fairfield Inn & Suites Chicago Downtown/River North about a block away, and someone at the hotel called police — who got him to the hospital. "They saw me with my mouth all bloody, and the back of my head, big lump," Sam said. He said he woke up at Northwestern Memorial Hospital 10 hours later, and found out he had a brain bleed on the back of his head. Doctors told him it was only getting worse. "My head was hurting so bad," Sam said, "and my mouth was completely bloody." Sam is not alone. Just this week, police sent out a community alert about a pattern of robberies targeting bar-hoppers in River North when bars were closing. The specific attack in which Sam was targeted was not on the alert, but four others were: Police said the robbers go up to people who have had alcohol and act friendly — only to take the victims' property by force and beat the victims with their hands and fists. "I'm still hurting," Sam said. "I mean, like I said, I just feel dizzy and tired after 10 minutes." Sam said the last few days, he has had trouble sleeping and eating. He said he knows it will be a long recovery process. But he wants to know why this keeps happening week after week, while no one has been caught. "I feel sorry for tourists that really don't know," Sam said. "Like, I was well aware of this, and I knew this, and I shouldn't have been out that late." A security guard in the area also said such attacks are happening way too often, and the people committing the attacks are out lurking night after night. Chicago police said they believe there are one to three suspects involved in these attacks. Police say the attackers are men between the ages of 20 and 40. Other than that, there is not much information. Anyone with information should call Belmont Area detectives at 312-744-8263, or submit an anonymous tip to and use reference # P25-3-033.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Yahoo
‘This wasn't some random shooting': Police dig in after drive-by attack at River North album release party kills 4, wounds 14 others
Late Wednesday night, assailants armed with at least one rifle rolled up outside an album release party for a local drill rapper in River North and opened fire on a crowd gathered on the sidewalk. Within a matter of seconds, police Superintendent Larry Snelling said, the attackers were able to shoot an astonishing 18 people, killing four in a spot close to the center of the city as Chicago is preparing for the holiday weekend and playing host to a high-profile NASCAR road race. The shooting was among the city's worst in recent years and served as a warning that even though violent crime has fallen in recent years, gun violence — especially that fueled by rivalries on Chicago's splintered gang landscape — remains stubbornly persistent. 'Shootings like these are a tragic reminder of how far we still have to go as a city,' Mayor Brandon Johnson said during a news conference on Thursday, calling the incident a cowardly 'act of hate.' City and state officials decried the mass shooting while calling it an isolated incident and asking citizens to send in information to investigators. Family members of those killed spoke out against further violence, saying that retribution won't bring back their loved ones. 'I don't want another death,' said Andrea Williamson, whose son Devonte was killed and leaves behind a 3-year-old daughter. 'That's not going to bring my son back. I want the people who did it to get caught.' Patrons were hit outside the Artis Restaurant and Lounge, which had been rented out for a private event, police said. Local rapper Mello Buckzz, whose name is Melanie Doyle, according to court records, had planned the party, according to social media. Messages to Doyle and her attorney were not immediately returned. For the past 15 years, Chicago's drill rap scene has often been linked to fatal gun violence as rival artists with reputed gang ties trade insults and threats through their lyrics and social media taunts. Police officials did not offer a motive, citing the pending investigation, but said it was clear that the venue was targeted. 'This wasn't some random shooting where someone just decided that they were going to shoot at this particular group of people,' Snelling said. 'Obviously, there's a motive there.' Snelling — who said the business that held the party has been temporarily closed — during the Thursday news conference described a chaotic scene as officers arrived and began trying to help the injured. One of the weapons involved appeared to be a rifle, he said. Casings from a second weapon also were found. Johnson said officials 'will not rest' until the shooters are held accountable. The shooting took place outside the lounge at around 11 p.m., when a large group of people were on the 300 block of West Chicago Avenue. The medical examiner's office on Thursday identified the four dead as Leon Andrew Henry, 25, and Williamson, 23, Aviance King, 27, and Taylor Walker, 26. The rest of the victims, who ranged in age from 21 to 32, were in various conditions at area hospitals, police said. At least two were believed to be in critical condition. No one was in custody as of Thursday afternoon. Police said a dark vehicle drove past, fired into the crowd and drove away. The car circled the block and its occupants fired, apparently targeting a line of people standing outside Artis, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation. Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Garien Gatewood said none of the victims are residents of the River North neighborhood. Johnson, Snelling and Gatewood all credited the actions of the first responders to the scene, and the superintendent said Chicago Police Department detectives and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are working to gather evidence and analyze ballistics. Snelling added it wasn't clear how many shooters were present. In a post to Instagram Thursday, Mello Buckzz said one of the four people killed was her significant other. On her Facebook page — followed by 89,000 people — Mello Buckzz appears to claim affiliation with the NLMB, a gang faction with territory in the South Shore neighborhood that's been linked to several murders in recent years. Among the most high-profile NLMB associates is Chicago drill rapper G Herbo, who collaborated with Mello Buckzz in a song released in 2024. Members and associates of the NLMB — an acronym for 'No Limit Muskegon Boyz' and 'Never Leave My Brothers' — were previously linked to another quadruple murder in the South Shore in 2017 and another brazen daytime slaying in a South Loop barbershop in 2021. The group was also tied to a 2021 mass shooting at a rented retail store in the Ashburn neighborhood, according to police sources. Two gunmen opened fire on attendees of a birthday party, leaving one man dead and seven other people injured. Earlier this year, Doyle was sentenced to probation for allegedly attacking a woman over what her lawyer in court documents described as 'diss threats' from the complaining witness. Although court records listed Henry, one of the decedents, as an associate of both the NLMB and the Black P Stones, Henry's mother, Tiffany Harris, said her son 'wasn't one of them types of kids that are just shooting and robbing people.' Harris, 49, had 'never' been concerned for Henry's safety and didn't know of his plans to attend the album release party, she said. Then she got a phone call about the shooting. Williamson, who was also killed, had been dating Doyle for a short while before the shooting, said his mother, Andrea Williamson. She said she saw her son leave the house Wednesday night 'dressed up' but didn't know where he was going. The crime scene had been cleared from outside the establishment by Thursday morning as commuters made their way past the Chicago Brown and Purple Line stop. After the shooting, social media began filling up with accounts of people who said they had been at the party, including a woman who apparently was a DJ for the event. Using the name 'sukigeez' on Instagram, the woman said she had just left the building when the shooting broke out. 'My brother & I decided to go across the street to get some food & heard the gun shots and saw people running away from where I was just playing music,' the message said. 'Honestly it was a great night. No drama. A celebration. I was really happy for Mello.' The shooting rattled the surrounding neighborhood. Lizzie Zimmermann, a 28-year-old marketing consultant, was getting ready for bed in her 17th-floor apartment when she heard the distinct cracking of gunshots. 'It sounded like someone unloading a magazine. It was just a rapid, like, 'pop, pop, pop, pop, pop,'' Zimmermann said. 'It was silent for maybe 15, 30 seconds, and then I just heard a million sirens.' When she looked out her window, about two blocks east of the establishment, the entire street was flashing with police lights. She walked past the scene Thursday morning and saw trails of blood on the sidewalk. 'I was definitely worried. It was scary,' Zimmermann said. 'It wasn't even that late at night. I mean, anybody could still be on the street at 11 o'clock.' The 42nd Ward is subject to a late-hour liquor license moratorium, according to Ald. Brendan Reilly, and Artis had applied for an incidental liquor license along with a food license. That liquor license hadn't been approved yet, he said, so Artis had been operating under a BYOB policy. 'The city needs to take a very hard look at our BYOB policy and consider some significant changes to make those much, much harder to use,' he said. Reilly added that Artis had been given a draft plan of operation as it was working toward a liquor license, which prohibited the use of promoters that publicized parties like the one held Wednesday night, he said. Reilly said he and CPD officials had requested a summary closure for Artis, and said he would ask the liquor commissioner to reject the restaurant's liquor license and ensure that the business 'never opens again.' In response to Reilly's comments, the owners of Artis said in a statement to the Tribune: 'We are deeply saddened by this unforeseeable tragedy, and we are fully cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation.' Johnson during the news conference said that the owners had 'demonstrated thoughtfulness around the business plan.' Artis was licensed to open in February 2025, according to records from the city's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection. In a statement posted to social media, management said they were 'deeply' shaken by the shooting and offered condolences to the victims and their families. The lounge, which opened April 10, bills itself as a safe space for Black, Brown and queer people to 'gather, be celebrated and feel at home in River North.' 'What happened last night disrupted it in the most painful way,' the statement read. Another fatal shooting occurred at the same address in November 2022, when the property housed a nightclub, records show. That shooting left one man dead and three other people wounded. County court records show a man was charged with illegal gun possession in connection with the shooting, but no one was ever charged with murder. Wednesday's attack came as Chicago has seen significant dips in violent crime in recent years. It was one of the first mass shootings downtown with double-digit victims since 11 people were shot outside a McDonald's at Chicago and State Street in 2022. Two people were killed. Gov. JB Pritzker called the news of the shooting 'devastating' in a post on social media on Thursday. 'Even as we've seen crime diminishing, we still can and must do better to keep Illinoisans safe,' he said. Tribune reporters William Tong and Kate Armanini contributed to this report.
CBS News
03-07-2025
- CBS News
Chicago Ald. Brendan Reilly calls for permanent closure of Artis Restaurant and Lounge after mass shooting
Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) on Thursday called for the city to permanently shut down a River North nightclub, after a mass shooting outside Wednesday night left four people dead and 14 wounded. Reilly, whose ward includes the Artis Restaurant and Lounge nightclub, called the shooting disturbing, and cited a history of violence at the location as a reason to shut it down. After an album release party for rapper Mello Buckzz, police said someone in a dark vehicle drove past the nightclub as the rapper's friends and fans hung around outside, firing shots into the crowd. Rabbi Avraham Kagan heard the gunfire. "It was last night around 11, and we just heard we heard noise. It was gunshots; pow, pow, pow," Kagan said. Four people were killed and 14 others injured. The owners of the lounge, Brandi and Brittany Artis, rented the space just a few months ago, and promoted the fact it was owned by Black queer women. Exavier Pope, who attended a soft opening for the lounge earlier this year to celebrate one of the owner's birthdays, said, "It is a beautiful space." "It is a very welcoming space," he said. But the space has also has a history of violence. In November 2022, one person was killed and three others were wounded in a mass shooting at the former Hush Lounge nightclub in the same space. Operating under a different owner at the time, the city temporarily closed Hush after that shooting, and under pressure from Reilly the city revoked its licenses and eventually shut Hush down. In a statement released on Thursday, Reilly asked the city to revoke Artis Lounges' business license, and immediately pursue permanent closure of the club. "Given the serious public safety concerns and clear mismanagement of this event, I am calling on the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection to revoke this business license immediately and pursue permanent closure of the establishment," Reilly wrote. The Chicago Police Department already has issued a summary closure of the building, temporarily closing it amid an investigation into the shooting and the location itself. "Despite early assurances from the new restaurant owner that this venue would support local artisans, foster inclusivity, and serve as a hub for connection, creativity, and joy - the owners decided to turn over their venue to promote a new rap album release," Reilly wrote. "It is clear the new operators were dishonest with the City about their plans for the venue and have now contributed to a devastating act of violence—just weeks after opening as a BYOB 'restaurant.'" Pope thinks forcing Artis Lounge to shut down is a harsh move for the new owners "These women started this business in this community to be able to make a safe space, and it was tarnished, and this shouldn't be the overall way that the community views them as business owners," There have been other violent incidents the River North community in recent years. In May 2022, just a few blocks from what is now Artis Lounge, a mass shooting left 2 dead and 7 hurt outside of a McDonald's at Chicago Avenue and State Street. In October 2023, a block away, eight people were shot outside a restaurant and bar in the 300 block of West Erie Street. More security is what Rabbi Kagan would like to see. "When such incidents occur, that's an automatic call for more security, which helps ensure these things don't happen again, and it also acutally helps those who are perpetrating the crimes," he said. The restaurant's owners had no comment on Reilly's call to shut them down.
