The Walmart Supercenter located at 4650 W. North Ave., was temporarily closed on Monday morning, possibly in anticipation of looting and vandalism spreading out from the Loop and into the neighborhoods.
According to the Chicago Tribune, at least 100 people were arrested by 9 a.m. Monday, after hundreds more converged on the Magnificent Mile hours earlier, “smashing windows, looting stores, confronting police and at one point exchanging gunfire with officers, authorities said.”
The Tribune reported that 13 police officers were injured while “a civilian and private security guard were shot and wounded.”
The civil unrest reportedly started after an officer-involved shooting in the South Side Englewood community on Sunday.
“The Civilian Office Police Accountability, the city agency that investigates all officer-involved shootings, released a statement confirming Brown’s assertion that the wounded male is an adult,” the Tribune reported. “Some social media accounts that authorities say fueled the unrest referred to him as a 15-year-old boy.”
As of 10:30 a.m., there were no apparent signs of looting in Austin and surrounding communities, but some stores, such as the Walmart Supercenter, appeared to be closing early.
A representative with the store could not be reached for comment. By around 11 a.m. Monday, commercial dumpsters and large trucks were blocking one of the entrances and plastic barricades blocked off the entrance to the parking lot.
Workers employed at a nearby Menard’s said the store was still open. A nearby Walgreens was also still open. A worker said that she didn’t know yet whether or not the store would maintain its regular operating hours today.
More as this story develops.
