Police said crowds became angry when they heard that a person shot by cops was a child, but cops said was in his late teens or early 20s.
Authorities said that hundreds of people swept through the Magnificent Mile – among other parts of the city – and smashed store windows as they looted businesses.
Video shared on social media showed stores, including Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Nordstrom, Walgreens, and Coach, being looted.
Pictures showed debris scattered around, as business windows were broken.
Store shelves were seen wiped clean, as people came through and swiped products from the shelves.
Police said the incidents came after a police-involved shooting on Sunday.
Cops were called to a scene around 2:30pm, with reports that a man had a gun.
“During the foot pursuit, the offender turned and fired shots at the officers,” Deputy Chief Tally said, a report said.
“The officers then returned, discharging their weapon.”
Tally said a witness claimed that even after the victim was shot and said “I’m down,” cops continued shooting.
The witness claimed that police confiscated his phone, Tally said.
After the man was shot, people began throwing things at cops, Tally said.
The police chief said that one officer was mace, and another was left with an injured shoulder.
Chicago police will be holding a press conference with more information on the incidents at 9am EST Monday.
Twitter users have posted videos of hundreds of people looting stores
An Apple store and Tesla dealership were among those targeted.
In one video, a woman seen carrying bags appears to have been taken into custody after tripping while running away from police.
Other videos show apparent arrests happening, but the circumstances are unclear.
WHAT IS CHICAGO’S MAGNIFICENT MILE?
Brown also said a security guard and a civilian are now in critical condition at a local hospital after being hit with gunfire during the looting overnight, and he said that five guns in total have been recovered.
“I, for one, refuse to allow these cowardly acts to hold our city hostage,” Brown said. “CPD will not stand by as our beautiful downtown becomes some place that people fear.”
Brown says he has now ordered detectives to comb over high-definition footage of suspects and vehicles from the looting scenes, suggesting that more arrests are coming.
“I pledge to pursue these offenders to the fullest extent of the law,” he added. “A heavy police presence will continue throughout the downtown area today and until further notice.”
Social media users posted videos of hundreds of people looting stores such as Nordstrom, Walgreens, Macy’s, Coach, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton. Some even exchanged gunfire with police at one point, although no officers were injured in that incident.
“Absolute chaos in downtown Chicago with more overnight looting and vandalism in the Loop,” tweeted Ryan Baker, an anchor for WBBM-TV. “Appears to be a coordinated effort with minimal police presence.”
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