And Chicago wonders why it has a crime problem.
CHICAGO — A would-be thief who was shot by a concealed carry holder while trying to commit a smash-and-grab at a downtown Chicago jewelry store has been released without charges being filed. The store employee who shot the alleged thief was also released after spending more than a day in custody as prosecutors considered charging him with a crime.
A Chicago police spokesperson told CWBChicago on Sunday evening that “two individuals related to this incident have been released without charging at this time.” The investigation is continuing.
Surveillance video of the incident in the first block of North Wabash surfaced on Twitter Sunday morning. The footage begins with the thief walking from the back of the store toward the exit around 10:55 a.m.
Just a step from the front door, he swings his right hand into the front of a jewelry display case several times. While he’s trying to smash through the glass, a man behind the counter draws a pistol, racks the slide, and fires as the thief appears to be turning toward the door.
Video from an exterior camera shows the thief fall out the door, then return to pick up something he dropped in the doorway. Suffering from gunshot wounds in his buttocks and abdomen, the 27-year-old bolts up the stairs to a nearby “L” platform.
It’s great that the law throws in the “…commission of a forcible felony” language. But do YOU really want to be the good guy, sticking your neck out, absent the “imminent threat of death or great bodily harm” part, because you see a thug punching an inanimate object? No judgment, just something to think about.
juml1r