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By CBS 2 Chicago Staff
Filed Under:Chicago, Chicago Police, Downtown Chicago, Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, Looting, Magnificent Mile, Pritzker, The Loop, Unrest

CHICAGO (CBS)–  In what appears to be a widespread, coordinated attack, dozens of stores, banks and other businesses were broken into across downtown Chicago overnight. The looting spread from the Loop, up to the Near North Side.

The unrest started around 11 p.m. Sunday and continued into Monday morning. Video shows multiple cars parked on the streets as people ran out and broke into stores. CBS 2’s Ryan Baker reports that former Bears player Patrick Mannelly witnessed the looting from his high-rise condo and saw cars driving up to a U-Haul truck and putting stolen goods into the trailer.

“This was no accident; this wasn’t random,” Baker reported.

On Sunday on the South Side, chaos erupted in Englewood after police shot a suspect.  Officers shot and wounded a suspect who was firing at them in Englewood Sunday afternoon, police said. Video showed crowds gathering about an hour later that led to tense moments with police. CPD Supt. David Brown confirmed the overnight looting was a coordinated response to the police involved shooting in Englewood.

Bridges surrounding The Loop are closed to traffic. Expressway ramps leading into the downtown area are also shut down.

At one point, police were making an arrest near Lake and Michigan, when somebody drove past and shot at the officers.  Police returned fire. No officers were injured and it was unclear if anybody inside the car was struck by gunfire.

CBS 2 is providing updates on the evolving story.

11 a.m.

Clean up crews are boarding up windows and clearing glass from streets. CBS 2’s Vince Gerasole has been talking to business owners who woke up to find their stores damaged.

9:50 a.m.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot addressed the public with Gov. JB Pritzker and said the unrest was an incident that does not require the National Guard. Pritzker said state police were deployed overnight.

“Criminals need to be held accountable,” Pritzker said. “These were criminals… this is criminal activity.”

9:45 a.m.

CPD updated CBS 2’s Brad Edwards on officer coverage in and around the Magnificent Mile.

8:45 a.m.

CBS 2’s Lauren Victory is reporting live from a Binnys in Lincoln Park. Bottles and pieces of glass are scattered on the ground. Business owners are trying to clean up the damage.

8:30 a.m. 

“We’re not going to let our city be taken over by criminals and vigilantes,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said as she addressed the public after overnight unrest.

Lightfoot said those responsible will be held accountable. “We are coming for you,” she said.

8:20 a.m.

CPD Supt. David Brown said connected the unrest to the police involved shooting in Englewood. He said officers monitored social media and found posts encouraging people to loot downtown businesses.

Brown said. 400 officers were deployed to the downtown unrest and 13 officers were injured. He called the incident “pure criminality.” Brown is searching for surveillance video to identify offenders.

Brown confirmed there will be restricted access to downtown areas from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

7:50 a.m.

CTA is working to restore bus and train service after downtown closures early Monday morning.

7:40 a.m.

CBS 2’s Vince Gerasole spoke with business owner Adel Elbiaadi who was threatened by looters on Divvy bikes. Elbiaadi’s business, Tut’s Convenience, is located at Illinois Street and LaSalle Drive. “They said if you don’t go, we will kill you,” Elbiaadi told CBS 2, shaking in fear. This is the second time Tut’s Convenience has been looted.

7:35 a.m.

Unrest and looting has expanded to northern neighborhoods. The Apple Store in Lincoln Park, located at North Avenue and Halsted Street was another hot spot for looters. Jeanette Hudson reported three men were arrested.

7:25 a.m.

CBS 2’s Chris Tye is reporting live from The Loop. He reported on a box of projectiles from in the back of a truck located at Michigan Avenue and Monroe Street.

7:25 a.m.

“None of those issues are going to be solved with what took place last night,” Fr. Michael Pfleger said in a live call with CBS 2. He said effective rebuilding of communities in necessary and the unrest last night does not focusing on the real issues.

6:50 a.m.

Video on social media illustrated the coordinated efforts.  One video shows a car smashing into a store to allow people to run inside to take whatever they could find.  Another video showed looters shouting “I can’t breathe,” a reference to George Floyd, who died during a police arrest in Minneapolis earlier this summer.

6:35 a.m.

Looters have returned to the Old Navy store at State and Randolph, CBS 2’s Yasmeen Hassan reports.

6:30 a.m.

Tom, the owner of Wabash Jewelers, said the looting was coordinated. “There was no anger.  They politely told me that were going inside,” he said.

Tom said the looters drove up in cars, carrying bricks to break the glass.  As they left, they ran to nearby U-Hauls to put the stolen loot inside.

After police left, another group showed up and broke into the store again.

“It seemed coordinated,” Tom said.

At another jewerly store down the street in Wasbash, there was blood on the sidewalk as looters cut themselves breaking glass to steal diamonds, Chris Tye reported.

6:15 a.m.

“We have lost control of our streets, and I don’t know how we will get them back,” said Ald. Brian Hopkins, whose ward includes the downtown area.  He was talking live with CBS 2 when Mayor Lori Lightfoot called him, and he hung up to take that call.

6:10 a.m.

The glass doors into Macy’s were ripped “like sheets of paper” and looters took whatever they could hold, from purses to candy, Chris Tye reports.

6:00 a.m.

Looters ripped through the Best Buy at North and Clybourn.

The Best Buy at North and Clybourn was destroyed by looters. Boxes and debris from stolen merchandise were strewn across the parking lot. “Everything is complete chaos,” reports CBS 2’s Jeanette Hudson. The damage looked more like a tornado had hit the area. The nearby Apple store was wiped clean of laptops and other devices on display.  Police were seen arresting three men who were inside.

Later in the morning, volunteers were cleaning up the debris outside the stores.

5:49 a.m.

Looting inside Block 37.

Chris Tye reports that police are responding to reports that some looters may still be inside Block 37.  “This is a Monday morning in Chicago. This is surreal,” said Tye, adding that the area was still recovering from looting and unrest in June after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.. Inside the mall, boxes and clothing were strewn all over the floor. Glass doors were broken everywhere.

5:41 a.m.

As the sun began to rise, it appears most of the looters have left downtown.  The CTA is not running trains and buses in the Loop.  All expressway ramps leading into the city have been closed.

5:40 a.m.

There are reports of a police involved shooting at Lake and Michigan.  Vi Nguyen reports that no officers were injured.

5:37 a.m.

The retail stores at Block 37 have been broken into and looted. Glass was broken and people were seen running on esclators carrying stolen merchanside. Several boxes and bags were seen on Washington Street. Block 37 is connected to the CBS 2 Broadcast Center.

5:30 a.m.

Vince Gerasole reports that police have shut down several streets in the Loop.

5:10 a.m.

Nguyen is live in The Loop and said she saw a person dragging an ATM down the street. She said she has seen many arrests, however police are outnumbered by looters.

Crowds are gathering downtown.

5:06 a.m.

The cause of the unrest is still unknown at this time, but it does appear to be an organized event.

4:35 a.m.

This is a developing story. 

CBS 2 Chicago Staff