Crime Highlights Of 2012

All right, folks, I'm here with another post. This one is for the crime highlights of 2012 for this neighborhood.

1) January 5, 2012 at 8:52pm - Multiple calls of "Shots Fired" came into 911 for the intersection of Wellington and Sawyer. Most callers reported hearing seven shots. Three minutes later, at 8:55, Beat car 1412 gave a "slow down". A flash was given out at 8:56, with 1412 reporting that three Maniac Latin Disciple members informed that there were Latin Kings in the area in a small tan racing car and in a black or dark green Jeep Cherokee, boxy style. They shouted out "MLD killer!" and fired several shots. They were from the Central Park and Belmont area. Thirteen minutes later, at 9:09, Beat 45Sam10 had a group of LKs stopped on the 3100 block of N St. Louis. Not known what happened with that stop. Finally, at 9:26, some of the information on the shooting changed. MLDs were claimed to be offenders as well by a couple of people in a car who had their car windows shot out. Also on this evening, at 9:50, an officer heard five or six "loud reports" outside of the 14th District station on California, and then seven minutes later, at 9:57, one shot was allegedly heard at Moffat and Kedzie.

2) January 21, 2012 at 5:40pm - A 21 year old man named L. Caballero was stabbed to death at the corner of Western and Armitage by a man named Kristopher Klimala, infamously known in these parts as "Wicked", a tagger who often tagged in our neighborhood. Sources say that a verbal altercation between Wicked and Caballero is what led up to the stabbing. Caballero was in his girlfriend's car when the argument turned physical, and then he was stabbed multiple times. He died at 7:01pm after being driven to St. Mary's by his girlfriend, then transferred to Stroger by the Chicago Fire Department. According to CPD, these two had "prior interaction". Wicked is now allegedly in custody.

3) February 18, 2012 at 8pm - A gang-related homicide occurred at the intersection of Roscoe and Monticello, in Avondale on 1732's Beat. A 17 year old boy, named Edgar Delgado, who was allegedly a member of the Latin Kings gang, from the Central Park/Belmont set, was shot and killed in the intersection following a possible gang-related fight. He was dropped off at Our Lady of Resurrection Hospital by a dark-colored car with two male Hispanics in it and was pronounced dead at 8:27pm. A woman was also shot in the incident, but made a full recovery. Apparently, the offenders were MLD gang members from the area of Francisco and Belmont, possibly the "Pee-Wee City" set. The RD number on the shooting is HV163846 with the event number of 16541. Also followed a number of smaller but notable incidents. Just two blocks south of the intersection where the young man was murdered at, at Belmont and Monticello, at 8:57, a woman was battered with a baseball bat by three female Blacks. She ended up going to the hospital, with all three offenders being detained and arrested. Then 20 minutes later, at 9:19, a battery was reported on the 3500 block of W Belmont. At 10:04, Beat 1790, a Lieutenant, reassigned three Tactical units that were in 17 that night from one assignment to the area of the homicide to prevent further incidents and possible retailation. CPD was still working the scene at midnight. Finally, also worthy of notes, is that the next day, on the 19th, starting just before 7pm until about midnight, 25th District officers had a number of street stops and run-in with LKs in the area of Belmont/Monticello. At one point, the Lieutenant in 25 asked all 25th District officers to keep a close eye out on the area due to a number of calls that there were up to 30 LKs in the area throughout the day loitering and what not, and to prevent any retailation. In one particular run-in, five LKs were arrested by a 25th District Tac unit. Foot patrol was also done.

4) February 19, 2012 at 3:19am - A security guard working the late night detail at the Naranjo bar, 2210 N. Milwaukee Ave., was shot in the thumb. He was taken to St. Mary's Hospital and lived through the ordeal. Apparently, he knew the offender. There was no further information on this incident, however.

5) March 25, 2012 - We had an active day in the 25th District on this date, starting around 8:30am and lasting until 6:30pm. At 8:32, an "assault in progress" was called into 911 for the corner of Lawndale and Dickens, and the caller said that there was a group of gangbangers about to fight. Some allegedly had crowbars and sticks. Four minutes later, at 8:36, Beat car 2525 had some of them at 2107 N. Springfield, but couldn't do anything because they went behind a fence. Ten minutes later, at 8:45, another call came in for them congregating at Lawndale/Dickens. Almost two hours later, at 10:20, yet another call came in for them being at Lawndale/Dickens, and this time, they were carrying one of their own, who appeared to be injured. Interestingly enough, about 20 minutes prior to that, there was a homicide a few blocks away on Beat 2534 at Cortland and Keeler. Not sure if that for sure was related to the skirmishes on Dickens, but it sounds suspicious. At 10:37, another call came in on Dickens. This time at Avers and Dickens, and it was for a group of males on the corner causing problems. The activity in the community stopped for about five hours, but then started up again. This time on the 2500 block of N. Springfield, with a call of "Shots Fired" being called in at 3:43pm. Three minutes later, however, at 3:46, Beat 2546 was on scene and said that they had talked to a couple of people who heard nothing. Once again, the activity stopped. But then it started back up again, this time on the 3100 block of N Monticello. At 6:29, a 911 call came in on the block for three gunshots being heard. Three minutes later, at 6:32, another call came in for several shots being fired and gangbangers walking around the block. Three minutes later, at 6:35, yet another call came in. This time, four shots were heard, with four male Hispanics gangbangers walking towards Belmont. One had on a gray sweatshirt and another had on a black/yellow baseball cap. Two minutes later, at 6:37, Beat car 2523 had four stopped at 3551 W Belmont. Finally, a minute later, at 6:38, one last call of "Shots Fired" came in on the 3100 block of Monticello. The caller said that there was a 17 year old male Hispanic that was involved, who was last seen wearing a yellow sweater. He was seen running. I have no further information on any of these incidents, and as far as I know, the "Shots Fired" on Monticello was the last activity that happened on this date.

6) April 14, 2012 at 8:30pm - A frightening situation unfolded near the Healy Metra station on Fullerton just west of Pulaski. I don't know what lead up to this, but apparently some sort of assault unfolded on an Amtrak train headed north between two young men and another unknown person, which lead to the two young men jumping off the tracks while on the train. That's not all. One of the young men involved was also allegedly hit by another train while coming off the tracks. Both kids had severe injuries, including one with head trauma, and actually, it is believed that the other kid died from his injuries, the one that was hit by the train. Chicago Police and Metra Police did an extensive search of the tracks, starting as far north as Diversey. They wanted to make sure that there were no extra bodies or anything like that. Both kids were taken to Children's Memorial Hospital. Finally, it is believed that the kid who had the head trauma may have crawled a block or two east of the tracks after jumping off, to Schubert and Keeler.

7) April 15, 2012 at 6pm - A large gang fight erupted on the 2800 block of N Ridgeway Ave., with as many as 15 to 30 people involved. It started out at a house on the block, where a male Hispanic, a gang member, in a red shirt and blue pants (who also lives on the block) came by and started yelling obscenities at the residence, where another gang member lived (he's moved off the block now, thankfully), threatening to fight the gang member's mother and sister. They argued for several minutes, then it turned physical at 6:08, with the large group, which consisted of mostly male Hispanics in white t-shirts and some females, coming onto the block by means of biking and running. By 6:09, it had turned into a large fight, with multiple parties fighting in the street. This group, according to 911 calls, were also throwing up gang signs and shouting gang slogans. The fight was still going on at 6:15, and actually, at 6:17, is when things got worse. At that time, the man who started all of this allegedly pulled out a gun and threatened to start shooting. Two minutes later, at 6:19, is when CPD arrived on scene. By then, the fight broke up and everyone dispersed. The cops ended up talking to a witness, and tried to talk to the "victims" of the incident, to no avail. Things got interesting at 6:21, because the man who started all of this walked right past the squad car of the two officers, in their direct view, and they didn't pull him over or anything. At 6:22, everything had officially calmed down and the fight was over, and the officers left.

8) May 10, 2012 at 9:09pm - One gunshot was reportedly fired at Oakley and Shakespeare, near Holestin Park. I wouldn't normally highlight something like this, but there was an event with over 150 people involved in the park at the time. I didn't hear anything else regarding the incident, so I assume everything was okay.

9) May 26, 2012 - There was a lot of notable activity in 25's side of the neighborhood that occurred on this day, especially around Koz Park. The first incidents started out at 3:38pm, with a couple of calls coming in for "Shots Fired" on the 2900 block of N Lawndale. One call said that six shots were fired with a male Black in a black t-shirt and plaid shorts yelling out in front. A minute later, at 3:39, a call of "Shots Fired" came in at the park, with gangbangers arguing. Another minute later, at 3:40, a "person w/ a gun" call came in for that block on Lawndale again. Four minutes later, at 3:44, Beat car 2523 gave a "slow down" on the shots fired at the park, and asked for a call back. Two minutes later, at 3:46, 2523 was on the 2900 block of N. Hamlin, talking to some citizens regarding the gunshots in the area. The citizens told the officers that a group of ten to 15 Cobra gangbangers were yelling out "Cobra!!" then fired several gunshots. No gun was seen, though. They all fled down Hamlin towards Diversey. At 3:52, eight minutes later, I personally observed a group of four gangbangers loitering on the 2800 block of N Ridgeway for about two minutes, then they dispersed south on Ridgeway towards Diversey. At 4:17, all of these "Shots Fired" calls were coded out by 2523. They must not have found anything or anything like that. Then, at 5:06, I again observed the gangbangers from the 3:52 observation on my block. This time, they went north on Ridgeway towards George. Things seemed to have calmed down for the day, until 8:28. At that time, a couple of calls for a "battery in progress" came into 911 for an address on the 2600 block of N Monticello. There was, allegedly, a large gang fight breaking out on the street. I'm not sure what happened with that, and then at 9:17, a "Shots Fired" call came in for an address on the 2700 block of N. Hamlin, with several shots heard. There was only one call with no other information. A minute later, at 9:18, a "person w/ a gun" call came in at an address on the 3600 block of W McLean with no information on it. A minute after that, at 9:19, a call of "Shots Fired" came for the intersection of Ridgeway and Diversey, near where the earlier gang problems I observed earlier in the afternoon. I, as well as a couple of other people, heard in upwards to 25 gunshots in the area. At 9:20, a minute after that, gunshots were reportedly being fired at Koz Park again. Twelve minutes after that, at 9:32, all of the calls near Koz Park were coded out by an officer, who said that they were "fireworks". Finally, nineteen minutes later, at 9:51, there were reportedly five gunshots fired at Palmer and Lawndale.

10) May 29, 2012 - There was a barricade situation on the 2400 block of N Ridgeway that started shortly before 5am. A man climbed onto a roof and wouldn't come down. CPD finally got him down and arrested him in the evening. Not sure what the circumstances were regarding the incident.

11) May 31, 2012 - There was a hostage situation that occurred at California and Milwaukee. There ended up being an evacuation and everything. Not sure what the outcome to this was.

12) June 17, 2012 at 12:46am and 11:18am - There were two incidents this day, one occurring at 12:46. At 12;46, Beat car 1433Robert on-view "Shots Fired" in front of V-Live, 2047 N Milwaukee Ave. They saw an occupant in a car fire several gunshots. A minute later, at 12:47, Dispatch started receiving calls on their board for "Shots Fired" at 2033 and 2047 on Milwaukee and at McLean and Western as well. The McLean/Western call said that there were as many as 15 gunshots fired. Another minute later, at 12:48, 1433R spotted a box-type gray or black Chevy or Jeep Cherokee flee the scene with four male Hispanics in it. A minute later, at 12:49, they had lost the car. At 12:50, Beat cars 1414R and 1432R had a possible stopped in front of V-Live. Two minutes later, at 12:52, a "slow down" was given on all of this. Finally, to conclude this incident, at 1:02, a citizen called 911 requesting to speak with officers regarding the shooting. Moving onto the second incident, at 11:18, in 25, officers got a call of an accident at Avers and Fullerton where a car crashed into a building, the Salvation Army building at 3837 W Fullerton to be exact. At 11:45, Beat car 2525 informed Dispatch that they needed to call the owner of Salvation Army to make them aware of the car crashing into the building. No structural damage occurred, amazingly; some windows went missing though. Finally, at 11:50, an RD number was pulled. It was HV339079 with the event number of 06880.

13) June 20, 2012 at 8:49am and 1:55pm - There were two incidents that occurred on this date, both in 17 in north Avondale. The first one occurred at 8:49, on the side of the tracks at Avondale and Kimball. 17th District officers received a call of a man alongside the train tracks there not breathing and his lips turning purple. He was a known drug user. Nine minutes later, at 8:58, Beat car 1733 announced that he was in fact a DOA. Beat 1720 was notified. Three minutes later, at 9:01, an RD number was pulled for the incident. It's HV343723 with the event number of 04585. It appeared to have been an overdose. At 9:12, Beat 1720 advised Dispatch to call Metra and Union Pacific so that they could stop running trains for a while while CPD investigated. By 11:30, the body had been removed. Then, at 1:55, a call came into 911 for 3221 N California regarding a HazMat situation that was occurring with People's Gas. Four minutes later, at 1:59, the call had been upgraded to a Level 1 HazMat. AT&T had hit a People's Gas line. At 2:11, 1720 requested traffic and crowd control. At 3:09, CFD and CPD cleared out from the scene, but AT&T and People's Gas remained on scene to clean up and get the lines fixed. Finally, at 3:52, an RD number was pulled from the HazMat incident. It's HV344200 with the event number of 09914.

14) June 23, 2012 - This day was kind of crazy, too. Firstly, at 3:14am, 25th District officers got a call that someone found a human heart with a knife in it on the porch at 3909 W Fullerton. Not sure what happened with that. Then, at 9pm, a couple of calls for a "battery in progress" erupted on the 3600 block of W Diversey on CTA bus #1458. There was a fight on the bus which resulted in a man being knocked to the ground and bleeding. I didn't hear anything else on that incident. Then, at 11:08, a "person w/ a gun" call came in at Koz Park with a male Hispanic, 18 years old, who was wearing a white tanktop, was being the fieldhouse with a gun. Three minutes later, at 11:11, a call for one gunshot came in at the park. Finally, at 11:14, Beat car 2524Robert reported hearing "loud reports" east of the park, possibly coming from Hamlin or Ridgeway. I heard nothing else about this incident, however.

15) June 30, 2012 at 6:30am - A woman was allegedly sexually assaulted on the 2800 block of W Lyndale during the morning rush hour. Chicago Police reported that the victim met the two offenders at the Kedzie-Homan Blue Line station stop on the West Side, and they rode the train with her until California, where they forced her off at gunpoint, then they took her to the apartment. Both suspects were male Blacks in their 20s, about 5'10 to 6 feet tall, and about 150 to 160 lbs. One offender was wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans and a blue hat, and the second one was wearing a maroon plaid shirt, blue jeans and a Philadelphia Phillies baseball hat. It is unknown what happened with the investigation.

16) July 6, 2012 - Two incidents occurred on Beat 2523, with a call that might have lead up to the first incident. At 6:33pm, a gang disturbance was called in on the 3100 block of N. Monticello, with gangbangers loitering. I believe this might have been a factor in what led up to all of the problems on the 2900 block of N Ridgeway during the summer. Then, at 7:40, that's when things got interesting. Also, please note that this is when all of the trouble that the 2900 block of N Ridgeway was going through this summer started. But yes, at 7:40, two calls of "Shots Fired" came in. One call was at an address on the 3600 block of W. Oakdale, with three gunshots heard along with people running down a nearby alley. Also, at this time, a call of "Shots Fired" came in at Monticello and Milwaukee with six male Hispanics in black shorts firing shots and running in different directions. Three minutes later, at 7:43, a "Shots Fired" call came in at Barry and Monticello with five gunshots being fired and males driving around in a black SUV. Calls were still coming in five minutes later, as of 7:48. Nine minutes later, at 7:57, Beat 2520 was on the scene at an address on the 3600 block of W Oakdale where a bullet hole went through someone's window. As of 8:18, they were knocking out a report on Oakdale. I didn't hear anything else about this incident, so I'm assuming that the report was done and that everything was okay after all of this. The second incident occurred at 8:55, and actually, it was an auto accident. A serious one at that. There was a call at Pulaski and Diversey regarding multiple cars being involved in an accident with injuries. At 9:02, there were multiple CPD units on scene, blocking off traffic. There were also a few ambulances and firetrucks on scene. A minute later, at 9:03, it was mentioned that the offending vehicle was a red Dodge Caravan with a partial plate of H4894. It fled east on Diversey towards Koz Park and had heavy front end damage. At one point, the westbound #76 Diversey buses had to be rerouted. The scene was cleaned up by 10pm.

17) July 7, 2012 at 12:11am and unknown - 25th District officers received a call of a human hand sticking out of the bushes at 3909 W Fullerton. Not sure what happened. Also, there was a shooting on the then-troubled 2900 block of N. Ridgeway, which was obviously gang-related. From what I know about that shooting is that a man who was the brother of a resident that got heavily targeted by the gangbangers during all of this was shot in his home. I didn't get any other information on that shooting, though.

18) July 8, 2012 at 10:04pm and 10:20pm - At 10:04, a 911 call of "Shots Fired" came in for Barry and Lawndale, with six shots being heard. Then, at 10:20, a call came in on the 3000 block of N Milwaukee for a large gang fight that was erupting between Hamlin and Ridgeway. I wouldn't normally highlight calls like this, but I am because of the shooting that happened two days prior on Oakdale.

19) July 9, 2012 at 9:27pm - More to the plot from the 2900 block of N Ridgeway problems they had in the summer. A call came in from a resident who found AK-47 shell casings in front of their residence and the caller clearly indicated that they were concerned with the amount of activity and shootings that had been occurring in the area.

20) July 11, 2012 around 9:45pm - A shooting occurred on the 1800 block of N Washtenaw. Allegedly, a man had bullets to come through his front window of his residence, thus leading up to him being shot. Police were investigated the Bloomingdale Trail after the shooting. I have no further information on this incident, however.

21) July 12, 2012 - A bit of a frightening situation unfolded at the Stowe Elementary school, 3444 W Wabansia during the afternoon hours, just before 2pm. At 3:34pm, 14th District officers recieved a call that as many as three children were abducted from the school by a male White, 60s, blue shirt and blue jean shorts who fled north on St. Louis towards Cortland. Eleven minutes later, at 3:45, CPD was on scene and declared it a kidnapping. The officers who responded were told that there was a pizza party going on at the school and that the three kids, one boy and two girls, were kidnapped from in front of the school while waiting for their parents to pick them up. Parents were hysterical, teachers were worried, etc. But then a bit of a breakthrough came at 3:49, when the officers were told that the boy was NOT kidnapped. As it turns out, he somehow ended up Yates school over on Richmond because of a problem that occurred with the summer school buses and the bus monitor accidentally making that kid go to Yates. I'm not sure how the rest of this incident played out, but I do hope there was a happy ending for everyone. Four hours later, at 7:52, Beat 1463 announced that he was doing a gang suppression mission on the 1800 block of N Washtenaw following the shooting that happened the night before (event number was 17533). About ten minutes later, at 8:01, a call for "Shots Fired" rolled into 911 at Kimball and Barry. Allegedly, one shot was heard. There was nothing else mentioned about that call, so I don't know what happened with it. Fifteen minutes later, at 8:16, a "person w/ a gun" call came out at Cortland and California. In the call, the caller mentioned that four male Hispanic passengers in a white pick-up truck with a plate of 3307Y8 that had guns. The vehicle was last seen heading south on California towards Bloomingdale. Two minutes later, at 8:18, a "slow down" was given per Beat 1495. He went down California from North but didn't see anything. An hour later, at 9:12, a couple of calls came in at Spaulding and Wabansia for a group of six fighting. I didn't hear anything else on that, so I'm not sure what happened with it. An hour and 30 minutes later, at 10:45, a call of "Shots Fired" came in at an address on the 1800 block of N Drake, with ten shots being heard but no further information. And I didn't hear a thing else about it. Lastly, at 11:20, a call of a "battery in progress" came in at an address on the 2100 block of N Kimball for gangbangers fighting. I heard nothing else on any of these incidents.

22) July 14, 2012 at 5am - A shooting occurred at Belmont and Kimball following a gang-related road-rage incident that came off the Kennedy Expressway 15 minutes prior to that. A 25 year old man was shot in the groin and was taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital in serious condition. From what I have on file about this incident, the victim an his friends were in a car on the Expressway when apparently, the victim and his three occupants were being followed by a black SUV with several occupants in it on the Kennedy Expressway, then exited the Expressway near Belmont/Kimball, where they rammed the victim's car several times before the victim and his cohorts ended up at the gas station over there. Then they called for a tow truck to take the car to the pounds. Shortly after the tow truck arrived, witnesses reported that someone started shooting from a gangway between two buildings on the other side of the street. Everyone ducked, but obviously, the victim was shot. One witness reported that they saw the accident as they were standing outside, working at a nearby business. Thankfully, that witness was inside when the shooting happened, but they did say that the gunshots sounded like they were coming from the lots south of the buildings on Belmont, which I'm assuming is the south alley of Belmont between Kimball and Bernard. One of the victim's friends said that they saw a vehicle back up behind the buildings from where the shots came from and assumed that the shooter jumped in the car and took off. An Audi was also shot up in this incident, but thankfully, the owner of that car was dining in a restaurant nearby. The victim's friend denied that the shooting was gang-related.

23) July 15, 2012 - A bunch of incidents, although not significant but notable, occurred throughout the western half of the community, in 25. The first happening occurred at 1:14am, with a fight from a sweet 16 birthday party breaking out on the street at Lawndale and Fullerton. One call said that there was a group of ten beating on one, who was on the ground. Five minutes later, at 1:19, Beat 2506Adam arrived on scene of the fight, requesting back-up instantly. It was truly a sweet 16 gone wild. The wagon was requested to head over also. Three minutes later, at 1:22, a "slow down" was given, then a disregard was given two minutes later at 1:24. To conclude that incident, an RD number was pulled at 1:45. The RD number is HV383448. Fifteen minutes later, at 2am exactly, another incident started up, and this one would last a couple of hours. This incident unfolded on the gang-infested (at the time) 2900 block of Ridgeway, with a "battery in progress" being called in. The ticket said that eight to nine people were in the street fighting. I'm assuming that fight was broken up, but then 39 minutes later at 2:39, another fight was called in. This time, the 911 call said that a large group was fighting and that guns were involved. Seven minutes later, at 2:46, another incident occurred, just a couple of blocks away from Ridgeway. At Schubert and Avers, a group fight was called in. Not sure what happened with that one, as I heard nothing else about it. Then, a third incident unfolded, at 3:06. 14th District officers responded to a call of "Shots Fired" at Drake and Schubert. I heard nothing else on that either. Getting back to Ridgeway, at 3:28, another fight was called in. Eight to ten people were fighting that time at 2922 on Ridgeway, the former site of the infamous "skeleton house", which is now a vacant lot. After that, things calmed down for the night. It was a few hours until another incident unfolded. The next incident occurred at 12:02pm that afternoon, at the Marathon gas station at 2003 N Pulaski Rd. Apparently, someone got carjacked. I didn't hear much else on the incident, but an RD number was pulled. It's HV383968 with the event number of 07728. Then things calmed down again, until 9:29, when one final smaller incident occurred. At this time, a call came in for a disturbance at Diversey and Lawndale, with a large group that had baseball bats on the corner. I heard nothing else on any of these incidents.

24) July 20, 2012 at 8:11pm and July 21, 2012, 1am to 5am - A call came into 911 at 8:11 on the 20th regarding six to seven male Hispanic, Insane Deuces gangbangers, were hanging out on a porch on the 2900 block of N. Ridgeway, drinking and double parking cars. As has been mentioned, this was on the block that went to hell for a few weeks. Then, a few hours after that incident, a more serious situation unfolded in the overnight hours. Gunshots rung out on the block for about four hours on this date, starting at 1am and lasting until around 5am. In the first burst of gunfire, there were ten to eleven shots fired at the corner of Ridgeway and Oakdale at 1am with one round going through a parked car, two going through the windows of a building on the corner just below a 1st floor apartment and one round struck someone in a vehicle who was driving through. That person drove himself to the hospital and I have no further information about that victim or anything. The offenders were the Insane Deuces that were living at 2963 at the time (I don't know if they're still there or not), and one person informed me that they were at war with the Cobras, MLDs, and the LKs from Monticello and Barry, and this is when I found out that 2963 had ties with 2913 and 2915. There was even one gunshot that sounded like it came from a shotgun. I'm not sure if this is 100 percent true or not, but it was rumored that it took the police 25 minutes to respond to these calls and this ultimately allowed the punks to do this activity all night long. At 10:59 on this date, a call came in on the same block for a "criminal damage report" regarding bullet holes in a window. Everything in 25 in our area calmed down for a long few hours, until 8:53pm, when a call of "Shots Fired" was called in at an address on the 2500 block of N Lawndale. Not sure what happened with that, though. Then an hour later, at 9:56, a call of "Shots Fired" came in at Wrightwood and Central Park with seven shots heard in the area. I have nothing on that call, either. Five minutes later, at 10:01, six gunshots were reportedly fired at Lawndale and McLean. I heard nothing else on that call. Then, at 10:38, Ridgeway acted up again. Five shots were reportedly fired at an address on the 2900 block. It might've been fireworks, though. Finally, twenty minutes later, at 10:58, a call of "Shots Fired" came in on the 2600 block of N. Monticello, where several gangbangers were also loitering.

25) July 23, 2012 at 5:51pm - Yet another incident on Ridgeway. This time, a 911 call for a "person w/ a gun" came in, and allegedly, a male Hispanic with a ponytail, wearing a white t-shirt, black baseball cap and black shorts had a gun in his waistband. Two minutes later, at 5:53, an update came in. A second male Hispanic, with a green t-shirt and blue jean shorts was there, too. A third offender even came on scene, with more gangbangers that were coming out of 2963 down the block. They were also allegedly at 2913. Five minutes later, at 5:58, Beat car 2525 arrived on scene, only to find out that three of the guys ran into 2915 while the rest ran into 2963. But, mind you, on this date also started what would be a breakthrough and a week of heavy community activism. That night, many residents went to the 30th Ward (Ald. Ariel Reboyras) Office for it's Ward Night, which coincidentally happened to be that night, and met with Alderman Reboyras about the trouble on the block and spoke to him at great length on it. A great turnout was reported, and strategies to address the situation were implemented.

26) July 24, 2012 - I have good and bad news about this day, and I'll start with the bad. At 12:40am, on the 4000 block of W. Nelson, a young man in his late teens or early 20s was shot on the block. Bullets also went through the windows of a residency on that block. Not sure what else happened with that incident. Then there's the good news. This date was when the breakthrough that all of us on Ridgeway had been hoping and praying for came to a head. Out of nowhere, around 1pm, I received notice that an "outdoor roll call" was set up by the then-new Commander of 25, Kevin B. Navarro, as well as Chairman of the Logan Square Concerned Citizens/Avondale Concerned Neighbors, Larry Ligas, for that evening at 7pm at Ridgeway and George. I don't want to take credit for this, but I did what I could, and I helped organize this roll call, despite it being only on six-hour notice. You all don't even want to know how many emails I had to type, but it all worked out, because we had a GREAT roll call with just about all of the 25th District officers working that shift showing up (hell, even coppers from the 10 sector of 25 showed up). We had an outstanding presence from the community, with people even from areas outside of our immediate area showing up. The media also showed up with considerable press coverage, and a notable video that was featured on Fox 32 a few days later. I could go on and on about that roll call, it was so great. It really united the community and it started a new declaration that we were going to take back the neighborhood. Unfortunately, though, there was one minor setback that occurred. At 10:33pm, Beat car 2522 reported that all of the street lights on Ridgeway from Diversey to Milwaukee, and we're thinking it was the gangbangers who knocked them out.

27) July 25, 2012 - This day was one of the most interesting days I've ever had being involved in the community. There was a lot of good that happened, but a lot of bad that happened too. Either way, this was just confirmation that we were taking back the community and that our breakthrough had started. First, I'll share the good news. We had a very, very productive CAPS Beat meeting for Beat 2523 that evening, that yielded the presence of nearly 100 community members, where a LOT of information was shared about the problems occurring and how we could address it. Plans were implemented and everyone got on one page. But as much as there was good news, there was also bad. Maybe more bad than good. For starters, I received information that before 5am on this particular date, the resident who participated with us in the community efforts during the last few days, the one who's brother got shot earlier in the month, had bricks thrown threw their residency, with some car windows busted out on the block, and their family was yelled at and threatened by the gangbangers. Not to mention some graffiti that was found. Then, at 11:26, the first of many 911 calls on that day came in. This particular call was a "criminal damage" that just occurred, and the ticket said that three guys had just tagged a garage. A minute later, at 11:27, a man fell and hit his head at another address on the block. He might've been drunk, though. I have no further information on those two calls, though. Then an hour later, at 12:35pm, is when the real stuff starting happening. A gang disturbance was called in, the call said that there was "a group loitering". To add on to it, about 20 minutes later, at 12:56, a "person w/ a gun" call came in. There was a man on Ridgeway running towards George with a gun in hand. A slow down was given at 1:01, and I heard nothing else regarding those calls. Things took a break for a few hours, until 5:50, approximately 40 minutes until our Beat meeting started on Belmont. At this time, a gang disturbance was called in. I have no information on what the call was about or anything like that, though (I do have archives available for this date, though, if anyone wants me to go back and listen to the tapes). Things got a little better at 6:16, when Beat car 2523 was requested by Beat 2520 to come to the meeting. Then Beat 2561Adam said ten minutes later, at 6:26, that they were heading to the meeting as well. About 25 minutes later, at 6:51, Beat 2561Charlie told Dispatch that they were assigned to do a post-shooting mission on the block. Event number was 16287. At 7:15, Commander Navarro noticed on his PDT screen that Dispatch had the officers at the wrong address for the CAPS meeting. She had them at 2021, instead of 4021, like it was supposed to be. But she fixed it. Twenty minutes later, at 7:36, 2520 left the meeting. Then Ridgeway wasn't talked about or mentioned again until 9:51, when a "Shots Fired" call came in on the 3600 block of W Oakdale. The 911 caller heard one gunshot. Then five minutes later, at 9:56, a "Shots Fired" call came in on the 2900 block of N Ridgeway. Two minutes later, finally, at 9:58, Beat 2554 gave a "slow down" on the two calls.  They talked to some people on the street who said they were firecrackers. I have no further information on any of these incidents.

28) July 26, 2012 at 9:10am - More of a breakthrough started happening on Ridgeway. Beat 2506Henry, who at the time was the Buildings unit, conducted investigations for the Department of Troubled Buildings at 2915 and 2963. He spent an hour on the block, running plates, writing reports on the buildings, etc. He finally left at 10:04. But then, five hours later, at 2:31pm, the punks came out.

29) July 29, 2012 at 4pm and 11pm - There were two incidents of batteries that occurred in our community, one in Avondale and one in Logan Square, respectively. The first one occurred at 4pm in the Logan Square neighborhood at Wrightwood and Sawyer, in a nearby alley. Apparently a woman was attacked and robbed in the alley in between an apartment building at 2537-2539 N Sawyer and the church at 3235 W. Wrightwood, which would be the Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter Day Saints. According to the source I received this information from, the woman was walking by herself in the alley when she was attacked and robbed by a lone man. He allegedly struck her in the face with a stick, which the source says a detective said that she may lose her right eye. On the same above date, except later in the evening around 11pm, another battery was reported at Springfield and Wellington. According to an email I received on it, a dark-colored (black, maybe navy) SUV stopped in the middle of the intersection and the passengers got out, then proceeded to beat on each other relentlessly for a good two minutes. The person who reported this says that it was difficult to figure out what exactly was happening. I have a description of one offender, and he was a male Hispanic in his mid 20s to late 30s with a buzzed haircut, last seen wearing a white/gray thick-striped shirt.

30) August 10, 2012 at 2:33pm - The Citibank at 2295 North Milwaukee was robbed. CPD was on scene within five minutes, by 2:38, and gave the following flash on the offender: male White, late 20s or early 20s, 5'9, 155 to 170 lbs, shirt that had a Captain America symbol on it and a black baseball cap. He fled north on Milwaukee towards California. The guy did imply a weapon, too. A male Hispanic in a red hoodie accompanied the offender and they fled in a white car. At 2:51, an RD number was pulled from the robbery, and it was HV424389 with the event number of 09685.

31) August 25, 2012 at 11:35pm - A large scuffle broke out on the street at Fullerton and Ridgeway, and Beat 2540 on-viewed as it happened. He instantly requested back-up. A minute later, at 11:36, the fight was "getting out of control". It was getting ugly real fast. There was talk of activating a 10-1 status over the Zone. But then luckliy for everyone involved, a "slow down" was ordered two minutes later at 11:38. Although, units were still advised to roll over there, as the crowd was still fighting. Five minutes later, at 11:43, another "slow down" was ordered. A minute later, at 11:44, a disregard was given. Finally, at 11:51, everything was cleared up per 2540. Some contact cards were done.

32) August 28, 2012 at 7:50pm - A couple of calls came in for "Shots Fired" on the 2900 block of N Springfield. One call said that a male Black with a black t-shirt and black jean shorts was the one doing the shooting. Then a minute later, a bit of a scare occurred. At 7:51, a call of a "Person Shot" came in for the intersection of Springfield and George. A man was supposedly shot on the porch about three doors north of the intersection, and then another guy was allegedly getting chased on Springfield towards Diversey by a group of 15 guys. Two minutes later, at 7:53, a "slow down" was given on the calls by Beat car 2525. According to them, no one was shot, but there were definitely shots fired. I have no further information on this incident, however.

33) September 3, 2012 at 2:08pm - A frightening situation occurred in 14 at the corner of Palmer and Central Park. Beat car 1434 was at this corner on a call and making an arrest when the arrestee became resistant and combative. He started fighting with the officer, and at one point, tried to pull his taser away from him. A 10-1 was issued and officers from 13, 14, 15 and 25 all flew over there in response. At one point, things got so serious on the radio with officers and Dispatch alike trying to figure out what was going on that Dispatch told the officers in a very angered voice to "stop talking!". She didn't want anyone saying anything on the air until an update or a slow down was given. A minute later, at 2:11, a "slow down" was given per Beat car 1422 and Beat 6753. The officer was fine and the offender was in custody. Finally, at 2:12, a total disregard was given.

34) September 6, 2012 - Not sure what happened, but there was mention of a 14th District police office getting shot on this date. Allegedly, he was okay and the offenders were caught.

35) September 8, 2012 at 6:57am - Just when we all thought things were peaceful for good on 2900 Ridgeway, another shooting occurred. This time, a 30 year old woman was shot four times at one of the gang houses, 2915. Allegedly, the man entered the caller's apartment when she answered the door to his knock and just shot her. CPD was told that she didn't know him, but the community said otherwise. Some people in the neighborhood were saying that she "covered for him" because she was the one allowing gangbangers in her apartment, and allegedly, this was the same apartment that took a shotgun blast through the front window a month earlier. The victim was taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital in serious condition. News Affairs had to be notified of the shooting, and there was a witness who had to be taken to Area North for questioning. There was an RD number pulled on the shooting and it's HV466465 with the event number of 04022. Finally, mind you, this was the last major incident to date on the block. Nothing else has happened since then.

36) September 30, 2012 around 1:30am - An 5-11 extra alarm fire broke out on the east end of Avondale, the first one that our community has seen in years, on the 2600 block of W Nelson. It took CFD most of the day to put it out, and over 200 brave firefighters at that.

37) November 1, 2012 at 12:40am - Another frightening situation unfolded in the neighborhood, at Lawndale and Diversey, and it affected me personally in a way. This was the overnight hours of Halloween. At this time, my sister, who was making a quick late night trip to the store for the family, was walking home and happened to walk through that intersection when six to seven shots were fired by a male Hispanic gangbanger with a black jacket and hat, who was standing on the corner in front of 3701 W. Diversey, a known gang and narcotics  building in the neighborhood. She was in the direct line of fire, although thankfully was not shot. Multiple, multiple 911 calls were placed on the incident, most saying that there were six to seven shots fired, and the shots were fired on Diversey between Lawndale and Monticello. One call mentioned that a group took off running south on Monticello from Diversey. At 12:45, "Shots Fired" calls were also reported all through the area, as far east as Kedzie. The epicenter appeared to have been at Fullerton and Sawyer. As of 12:47, people were still calling 911 about the gunshots on Diversey, and then one caller said that a female had been shot. She was last seen running down Diversey from Lawndale and then ran into the bar nearby. At 12:50, it was confirmed that the woman running into the bar was shot. She suffered a gunshot wound to the throat, although it was a graze wound. She was 26 years of age. At 12:52, elsewhere in the neighborhood, shots were reportedly fired on the 2100 block of N Lawndale with three gunshots heard. At 12:56, a flash from the shooting on Diversey was given out. Wanted was a gray 4-door small car that fled east on Diversey then south on Monticello towards Schubert. An RD number for an aggravated battery with a handgun was possible, and it's is HV543725 with the event number of 00446. The victim was taken to Our Lady Of Resurrection Hospital in stable condition. A crime scene was found on the 2700 block of N Lawndale at 1:09. Finally, at 12:57, shots were allegedly fired at Hamlin and Dickens. Up to five shots were fired and two females were seen giving a male Hispanic with a long white hoodie some extra clothes to change into. It's not known what happened with that incident.

38) November 24, 2012 at 9:10am - Another very serious situation occurred on the west end of Logan Square, and actually, just about where the November 1st shooting occurred at. A call was placed into 911 at this time for the fruit market at 3647 W Diversey (which has since been closed due to this incident), and whoever called told the call-taker that a 25 year old man had his arm completely cut off, but that he was awake and breathing. Two minutes later, at 9:12, a call came in down the street that there was a group beating up on one with someone holding a butcher ax in their hand. A minute later, at 9:13, Beat car 2523 arrived on scene and requested EMS immediately. The man had indeed lost his arm. He was taken to Illinois Masonic in serious condition with his arm completely gone. Beat car 2524 went with the victim to the hospital. Finally, at 9:47, Beat car 2523 did a license check on the store. I have no further information on this incident.

39) December 16, 2012 at 10:34am - A shooting occurred at Cortland and Whipple, with a man being shot in the shoulder, arm and stomach. The first call came out at 10:34, with five gunshots being fired on the 1800 block of N Whipple. A minute later, at 10:35, two calls of a "Person Shot", one at the corner and one on the block. The one at the corner said that the guy had been shot in the leg, but officers confirmed it when they got to the scene that he had been shot in the shoulder, arm and stomach. At 10:36, it had been announced that the shooting was bona fide, by Beat 1495. EMS was requested. Wanted from the shooting were two males, one Black and one Hispanic, both are wearing all black who were last seen fleeing westbound on Cortland towards Albany. Four minutes later, at 10:40, an Evidence Tech was requested to come to the scene. A unit was also needed to go to the hospital with the victim (which Beat car 1432 ended up doing). Then, it was announced that a gun was found on the scene. An RD number was pulled from the shooting, and it was HV604781 with the event number of 05953, with Beat car 1422 being the paper car. The victim was taken to Illinois Masonic in critical condition, but he was still alert when he was taken. At 10:45, it was mentioned that there were two shell casings on the scene as well as damage to a car. Three minutes later, at 10:48, 1495 told Dispatch that they had just found out that there was a second victim shot in the shooting. A family member took that person to the hospital, though, but we weren't sure which hospital. Finally, at 10:49, Beat 1420 told Dispatch that they needed to send a car to the hospital where the second victim was, as soon as they found out, due to a possibility of retailation. I have no further information on this shooting.

40) December 17, 2012 at 3:38pm - Multiple calls of a large fight poured into 911 for the 3900 block of W Barry and at Pulaski and Barry. All calls reported a large group of teens fighting, and since ASPIRA Charter High School is right there, it was assumed that these were the kids fighting, since a couple of calls did say "school kids" were fighting.

41) December 30, 2012 at 12:44am - The year 2012 certainly went out in Logan Square with a bang. At this time, a pretty scary shooting occurred at the corner of Diversey and Lawndale, and it started out with multiple 911 calls reporting "Shots Fired" in the area. 911 recieved calls at Central Park and Schubert, 2700 blocks of N Lawndale and Monticello, and Diversey/Lawndale. Most calls reported four to 15 shots, with people running and screaming. The calls came in for nearly 10 minutes. At 12:48, Beat 4536Adam informed Dispatch that the shooters hit a gas pipe at the corner building, infamously known as 3701 W. Diversey, a known community problem building. People's Gas was needed over there ASAP, as it was leaking and there was a smell. A couple of units were requested to head over for traffic control. Beat 4536 was  notified about this. CFD was also requested to go to the pump. A minute later, at 12:49, Beat car 2525Robert mentioned to Dispatch that the shooters were Maniac Latin Disciples from Barry and Central Park. Another minute later, at 12:50, a description was given from the shooting. Wanted were five male Hispanics who ran into 3701, and a 4-door maroon Honda Acura was also involved. It fled towards Ridgeway on Diversey. Calls were still coming in, so officers were advised to use extra caution. Another man was spotted running into the bar at 3653 W Diversey, and he was a male Hispanic with a black jacket and gray jogging pants. At 12:52, there was a call that said a man ran into 2816 N Lawndale from the shooting. He was a chubby guy. Another guy was with him, he was wearing a puffy jacket. They fired shots at "kids" on the corner. At 12:53, CFD had shut off the pipe at 3701, but People's Gas was still needed. Three minutes later, at 12:56, it was reported that shell casings were laying on the ground by 3701, according to a 911 call. Also, Beat 2520R said that traffic control was no longer necessary, and the People's Gas will need to look at the pipes because they're damaged. Two minutes later, at 12:58, a misunderstanding occurred between 2520R and Dispatch. Dispatch was told by their front desk at OEMC that People's Gas didn't handle pumps. But the cops said pipes. Dispatch misunderstood the officer who radioed that in. They'll re-notified their front desk. Finally, at 1:11, People's Gas was on scene and they were saying that the owners would have to repair the pipe in the morning. In the meantime, the people who live in that building would have to leave for the night. I'm not sure what else happened with this incident, as no further information was given on it.

There you have it, the 41 crime highlights of this neighborhood for the year of 2012. There are probably more but I don't remember or know about them. If there was and you know about it, please share in the comments section and I'll add it to this list. Thanks for reading this. Look out for the crime highlights of 2013 at this time next year.

Thanks,
AvondaleLoganSquareCrimeBlotter