Gov. J.B. Pritzker was forced to send in state troopers to assist Chicago police as hundreds of looters destroyed storefronts along the city’s Magnificent Mile and in other Chicago neighborhoods.
Police Superintendent David Brown called the violence “an assault on our city.”
Looters sacked high-end retail stores along the Magnificent Mile, in the River North area, and the Gold Coast neighborhood, clashing multiple times with the Chicago Police Department. The Chicago Tribune reported the violence resulted in more than 100 arrests. Thirteen officers were wounded.
Pritzker owns a mansion in a residential area in the Gold Coast neighborhood, away from where the looting was reported.
In a late-morning news conference, Pritzker says Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot had contacted him about the violence.
“Last night, we did provide state police for the closure of on-ramps, off-ramps, where necessary for the city of Chicago,” Pritzker said. “We’ll continue to offer state police. We want to do everything we can to support the city as we did back in May and June when the mayhem and looting was occurring back then.”
The latest instance of mass-looting comes in response to an officer-involved shooting in the Englewood neighborhood. Police said a 20-year-old man ran from police while shooting behind him. Officers returned fire and incapacitated him. Police said the man is hospitalized and recovering.
A short while later, Brown said messages began appearing on social media, telling protesters to head downtown. WFLD-TV Chicago reported people could be seen loading merchandise into rental trucks and other large vehicles.
In a morning news conference, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot warned Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx and county judges that they can no longer let the looters off without consequences.
“We have made the case,” she said. “We have the video. We have the officer testimony. These people need to be held accountable and not cycled through the system. Judges that are holding cases; you need to step up and be responsible. We can’t continue to allow this to happen and for people to believe that there is no accountability through our criminal justice system.”
Lightfoot again said the city would refuse federal assistance in quelling the violence, suggesting President Donald Trump focus on gun control measures.
Illinois House Minority Leader Jim Durkin released a statement criticizing Lightfoot and Pritzker for their resistance to using the National Guard.
“Once again, Illinois government has failed to protect its residents and businesses," Durkin said. "It is time to bring in the National Guard and accept any and all federal assistance to stop the chaos that is destroying our state. No more excuses. No more failures.”
In one of the bloodier summers in recent years, Chicago reported 40 more people were shot, including 4 fatally, over the weekend.