Cook County Prosecutors Announce Charges in Week’s Rebellion

CHICAGO (AP) — Cook County’s state’s attorney’s office on Thursday announced 42 people have been charged with felonies in connection with the looting of stores along the city’s premier retail street that occurred earlier this week.

Prosecutors said among the charges filed include one for attempted murder and 28 for burglary and looting, in addition to aggravated battery, resisting a police officer, theft and criminal damage to property.

“I am committed to keeping our communities safe and continuing to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to demand accountability and seek justice for the people of Cook County,” State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said in a statement.

Foxx, who is up for reelection later this year, has been criticized as being too lenient after the looting earlier this summer during the fallout from the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. Earlier this week, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Foxx should make sure there will be consequences for Monday’s widespread looting.

“Our expectation is that this is going to be treated with the level of seriousness it should be. Period,” Lightfoot said.

Foxx pushed back, insisting her office approved charges for the vast majority of looting-related felony arrests resulting from June’s violence and looting.

Hundreds of people descended on downtown Chicago early Monday following a police shooting on the city’s South Side that wounded a 20-year-old man. Vandals smashed windows of dozens of businesses and made off with merchandise, cash machines and anything else they could carry, according to authorities.

Police said officers shot Latrell Allen after he fired at them several times. Allen was charged with attempted murder. The state’s attorney office didn’t make clear if the charge against Allen is the attempted murder charge it announced Thursday.

The city has imposed a curfew in the central business district that is in place from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. that will be in effect until Monday.