100 arrested as looters attack Chicago

CHICAGO－Two people were shot, more than 100 arrested and 13 police officers injured in widespread looting and vandalism early on Monday morning in downtown Chicago.

A security guard and a civilian were struck by gunfire and taken to the hospital in critical condition. Of the 13 police officers injured, a sergeant was struck by a bottle, and an officer's nose was broken. Five guns were recovered at the scenes.

The looting brightened the national spotlight that has been on Chicago for weeks after a surge in gun violence that resulted in more homicides in July than any month in decades. US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticized the handling of the violence, recently ordered more federal agents to the city to take part in what Attorney General William Barr called "classic crime fighting".

Witnesses described a scene that bore a striking resemblance to the unrest that unfolded when protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis devolved into chaos.

At a news conference on Monday morning, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown linked the looting in downtown Chicago to a shooting in Englewood in South Chicago on Sunday afternoon, when police officers responded to a report of a 20-year-old man with a gun. The man fled and fired at officers, and the officers fired back and struck the man.

After the shooting, a crowd gathered in the area, Brown said. The Chicago Police Department became aware of "several social media posts "about looting planned downtown, and reacted by deploying 400 officers to the area.

'Pure criminality'

The first looting incident happened in South Chicago, Brown said, but "soon, car caravans were headed into the Loop" to begin looting. He called it "pure criminality".

A video posted on social media showed a white car drove into and broke the window of a store while dozens of people stood cheering. Other videos on social media showed crowds breaking windows and entering stores in business districts in downtown Chicago.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot called the acts a "felony criminal conduct" and "an assault on our city". She asked the public to help apprehend the looters.

"To those who engaged in this criminal behavior, … we are coming for you. We are already at work in finding you and we intend to hold you accountable," Lightfoot said. "There is no justification for criminal behavior ever."

Meanwhile, the police started a neighborhood protection plan and a team of detectives was assigned to scour security footage of all incidents. All days-off were canceled for Chicago police officers, and access to downtown Chicago was restricted from 8 pm to 6 am, effective from Monday night, local media reported.

Xinhua - Agencies