Chicagoist Weekend Blotter

By Shannon in News on Feb 25, 2007 10:37PM

How 'bout that weather, Chicago? OK, we'll shut up now.

• A armed 19-year-old man holed himself up in his mother's apartment overnight with four hostages, but let them go without incident Sunday morning. Police responded to reports of a man with a gun at a four-unit building in the South Shore neighborhood around 1 a.m. The man in question gained access to his mother's place and locked himself in with three of his siblings, two five-year-old fraternal twins and a 11-year-old sister, and their babysitter. His siblings were let go around 8:30 a.m. and the babysitter let go around 10 a.m. No reason was given for the forced entry.



• Speaking of the weather, authorities blame the latest winter storm for causing a 14-car pileup on the Dan Ryan Saturday night. An IDOT snowplow was clearing out northbound lanes between 26th and 31st Streets when some of the snow was flung into the southbound lanes, obscuring vision and shattering windshields. Nine people ended up in hospitals due to the multi-vehicle crash, but none were seriously hurt. The crash was taken care of within two hours.




• Last week we told you about how the private police force at Stroger Hospital beat up and arrested a Sun-Times reporter over a "misunderstanding." This was the latest in a string of questionable moves by the enforcement group. As a result of the Cook County budget cuts that were passed early Friday morning, that force has been disbanded. The hospital's security will most likely be privatized from here on out.
• Finally, Chicago's 311 non-emergency hotline will now take anonymous crime tips. It will operate in conjunction with the city's traditional Crime Stoppers line, (800) 535-STOP. Jewel, Dominick's and Walgreens stores have agreed to display informational posters alerting people to the new 311 option. So come on, people, get on the horn and give us some more blotter fodder!

Image courtesy of Jeff Cagle.