Weekend Diversion: Night Of The Ponies
Pedway, First Store Open At Block 37
Around Town
Around Town
Red-Light Cameras Not So Special?
The man shot dead by police during the incident in the Loop yesterday afternoon has been identified as 45-year-old Jacob Paul Stolarz. After yesterday's flurry of unconfirmed reports, here's what we now know:
- Officers were called to the Loop near Randolph and Wabash because of reports of a man with a knife.
- Police tried to get the man to drop the knife as they followed him down Randolph, even using pepper spray, which failed to subdue him.
- The man then grabbed a nearby elderly man and threatened him.
- An office tried to disarm the man of his knife.
- Another police officer opened fire on the man, striking him and accidentally striking the officer who was attempting to disarm the knife-wielding man.
- Stolarz was pronounced dead shortly after the shooting and the injured cop was last reported in good condition as his bulletproof vest prevented serious injury.
- A second officer was treated for inhaling some of the discharged pepper spray.
CPD superintendent Jody Weis said, "He was trying to murder an innocent elderly gentleman. With that escalation of force, our officers were forced to engage him, and we used deadly force." Stolarz had been arrested on a few minor charges, including smoking on a CTA train, over the past few years, but nothing major. Weis added, "Police work isn't clean. Sometimes there are shots fired in close proximities. The officers are well-trained, they're very close on one another. It's unfortunate that one officer was shot in the vest. He's fine." [Tribune, Sun-Times, CBS 2]
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
It's weird, but now whenever I see pictures like that last one of fully dressed officers and speaker in a suit with the Chicago backdrop, I cant help but think of The Dark Knight movie.
Whats weird is robo-superintendent. Is he sporting extra bulletproof vests or a super size man-girdle?
Maybe a cape?
He is a curious shape.
It's unfortunate that someone had to die (especially if he was mentally ill, which seems likely), but from what we know so far I can't find fault with the officer's actions.
Yeah, I'd say the police responded properly to this one. I'm actually amazed that so few were hurt at all given how busy that section of the Loop is.
People on Second City Cop are saying that one of the shots went through the offender and hit the other police's vest. I'm not sure how they could know that since apparently 4 or 5 shots were fired. Regardless, I'm glad the police are OK. And it is sad that someone who is most likely mentally ill died -- but I'm also reminded of a mentally ill guy who wandered naked into a liquor store in Uptown a few years ago and randomly stabbed another homeless man to death. This guy could have killed someone.
As the city gears up to close 5 mental health facilities.