Gun Attacks: Juvenile Robbed, Woman Threatened

Oak Park police reports, April 20-22.

TUESDAY, APRIL 22 An Oak Park woman walking in the 200 block of W. Lake Street was attacked shortly after 10 p.m. A man came from behind, showed a black handgun and hit her in the face while trying to take her purse.  The attacker is described as a black male in his 20s, 6 feet tall with a medium build and curly hair. He was wearing a red letterman jacket with tan sleeves and blue jeans.  There were two other men with the attacker. Both were described as black men in their 20s, one wearing a red fitted baseball hat, a red sweatshirt and blue jeans.  They fled westbound in the parking lot. No loss was reported to police.  SATURDAY, APRIL 20 A juvenile was robbed at about 2 p.m. on the 100 block of Garfield Ave. after two men approached the …

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Gang-Related Shooting Leads to Car Accident, Chase

After shots were exchanged in Stone Park between rival gang members, a car chase ended in River Forest.

Rival gang members exchanged shots in Stone Park last week, leading to a car chase and accident in River Forest, police said.  At 4:18 a.m. April 7, police responded to a call about a hit-and-run accident in the 7500 block of North Avenue. One car lost control and hit several trees and poles, while the second car fled eastbound.  Police said four people fled from the car. One occupant, John Benitez, 18, of the 1600 block of N. 43rd Ave. in Stone Park, was located and taken to the hospital for injuries.  A loaded handgun and shell casings from another gun were found in the damaged vehicle. Police said further investigation revealed the incident to be gang-related.  After the shots were fired in Stone Park, the two groups chased eachother …

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'Violence Tax' Goes into Effect in Cook County

A lawsuit supported in part by Chuck’s Gun Shop in south suburban Riverdale is not enough to get in the way of President Preckwinkle’s new $25 firearm sales tax.

A $25 tax is being added to the purchase of all firearms sold in Cook County. The news comes in spite of a lawsuit filed by several Chicago-area gun dealers, including Chuck’s Gun Shop in Riverdale. The new tax, launched April 1, is part of a policy instated by Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle to help fund the Cook County Health and Hospitals System. At their flagship, Stroger Hospital, more than 30 percent of the trauma center patients are gunshot victims, each costing roughly $50,000 to treat, according to Preckinkle. The $600,000 expected annual revenue from the tax will ideally help offset those costs, reports Sun-Times Media. "This new policy will help us provide more resources to our vital public health system, which on a daily…

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Governor Quinn: Local Communities Should Have Control in Conceal Carry Law

Gov. Quinn is looking for ways to tighten Illinois' impending conceal carry law, the Chicago Tribune reported this week.

Gov. Pat Quinn said earlier this week he thinks Illinois communities should be able to exert some local control when it comes to a state conceal carry gun law, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune. The state is working to create a concealed carry law by the June 9 deadline. A federal court ruled late last year that Illinois’ ban on conceal carry was unconstitutional. "I am not excited about this at all," the Tribune reported Quinn as saying. "If this has to happen, it has to have the proper restrictions and limitations... I think we should make sure it's very tight and I think local communities, wherever they are, should have the option to make it as tight as possible in their community." Quinn also has stated his opposition to …

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Jiffy Lube Robbed at Gunpoint in Oak Park

It's one of several gun-related incidents in Oak Park over the last week. The offender took $120 cash and fled.

The Jiffy Lube at 6845 North Ave. in Oak Park was robbed at gunpoint at about 8:25 a.m. March 28. Police said a man entered the business, displayed a black semi-automatic handgun in his waistband and demanded money.  The victim complied and gave the offender $120 cash. He then fled on foot northbound into Chicago, police said. The offender is described as a man in his early 30s, about 6 feet tall with a medium build and a mustache, and wearing a black knit hat, a gray hooded sweatshirt and jeans.  It's one of several incidents involving guns in the past couple of weeks in Oak Park:  Riverside Teen Charged With Armed Robbery in Oak Park 2 Armed Robberies Follow Fake iPhone Craigslist Sales Man Points Gun at Jamaican Grill Demanding Money …

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Cook County’s Special $25 Gun Tax Began This Week

Do you think the new tax will help curb taxpayer expenses tied to gun violence?

By Chi-an Chang and Michael Sewall A new $25 tax on every gun purchase in suburban Cook County took effect Monday as part of the larger 2013 county budget approved by county commissioners and County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, various media outlets reported.  The new gun tax is expected to bring in around $600,000 in revenues this year and is aimed at curbing taxpayer expenses tied to gun violence, which Preckwinkle says crowds jails and drives up health care costs, NBC Chicago reported.  Patch wants to know do you think the new tax will help curb taxpayer expenses tied to gun violence? Tell us in the comment section.  Preckwinkle's chief of staff, Kurt Summers says told the Sun-Times that the average health care cost to treat a …

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Cook County Passes Gun-Transfer Ordinance Fining Failure to Report

The ordinance targets illegal “straw purchasers” by levying fines on gun owners who do not report a lost, stolen, destroyed or otherwise transferred weapon.

Making good on Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s pledge to crack down on “straw purchasers” who legally purchase and illegally resell firearms, the Board passed an ordinance Tuesday imposing fines up to $2,000 on gun owners who do not report when a firearm is sold, lost, stolen or otherwise leaves their possession.  According to the Associated Press, Chicago law enforcement believes that many of the guns used in crimes in the city are first legally purchased—many in suburban Cook—then resold to persons who could not buy a gun legally themselves.  "The 'burbs are flooding Chicago with guns continuously," Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia told the AP. "This ordinance raises the bar on the responsibility of gun owners as it …

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Resident Gives Up the Gun After Newtown Shooting

Following news of mass shootings and the overturn of Illinois' concealed carry ban, Patch looks into the case of a resident who said it was time to give up their gun.

Giving Up the Gun: Do We Need a Buyback Program?

Following news of mass shootings and the overturn of Illinois' concealed carry ban, Patch looks into the case of a resident who said it was time to give up their gun.

Editor's Note: This article has been updated following an interivew with Rick Tanksley, chief of police in Oak Park. In the days following news of the horrific mass shooting in Newtown, CT, a River Forest resident decided it was finally time to get rid of an antique gun that had been in her home for decades.  The family was unsure whether the gun even worked, but all the same, they called police to their home who took the gun into custody and placed it in lockup to wait until it could be destroyed. The resident reported the gun a day following the shooting spree that left 20 children and six adults dead. Had the shooting been the spark that led the resident to get rid of the gun once and for all? Christine, who asked that her name be …

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One Arrested After Shots Fired From Balcony in Forest Park

At least two handguns and a number of live rounds of ammunition recovered from an apartment in the 300 block of Des Plaines Avenue after neighbors report multiple shots fired.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated. For the latest, click here to read, Police: It Could Be Weeks Before Man Charged in Forest Park Apartment Balcony Shooting A 25-year-old man has been arrested, but charges have not yet been filed in connection with a series of shots that were fired Saturday night from the balcony of a building in the 300 block of Des Plaines Avenue, police said. The man, who has not yet been identified, will likely be charged with one count of reckless discharge of a firearm. A 17-year-old female in the apartment was placed in protective custody and also is being questioned in connection with the incident, police said. As many as two handguns and a number of live rounds of ammunition were recovered from the scene…

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