A 54-year-old man was shot by catalytic converter thieves when he saw them under his car on the North Side. He is at least the second person shot in Chicago by catalytic converter theft crews since July 28.
Police said the victim was in the 7200 block of North Oakley when he saw a man trying to steal the catalytic converter at around 6:02 a.m. When the victim approached, the thieves opened fire, shooting him in the wrist and elbow.
The crew fled the scene, leaving their jack under the man’s car, an officer said. Police did not release descriptions of the suspects.
This morning’s shooting occurred just a couple of blocks from an auto parts store where catalytic converter teams are known to purchase jacks.
On July 28, a 57-year-old concealed carry holder was shot when he intervened in a catalytic converter theft on the 2200 block of West Oakdale in North Center. Police said the man returned fire, and witnesses saw one of the thieves hop into a getaway car while clutching his arm as if he had been shot.
Chicago police later confirmed that officers were pursuing charges against a 16-year-old boy who showed up at Humboldt Park Health with a gunshot wound to his arm after the shooting. But a CPD spokesperson told CWBChicago that the teen was eventually released without being charged.
The July 28 altercation is similar to a shootout that occurred less than a half-mile away late on November 11, 2021.
In that case, a 44-year-old man was sitting on the steps of his home when he heard a loud noise coming from the street in the 2900 block of North Wolcott, police said. He investigated the noise and discovered two men under a vehicle.
The two men both drew guns and began shooting at him without warning, police said. The victim, a concealed carry holder, pulled out his gun and returned fire, striking one of the men in the neck, according to police.
According to authorities, the thief, 25-year-old Darion Blackman, collapsed on a nearby sidewalk with a gun under his arm and died a short time later. Two of his accomplices escaped.
At the time, Blackman was out on bail for felony gun charges.
The victim was not injured in November.
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