A person accused of opening hearth throughout a barroom brawl on the Southwest Aspect, injuring two males earlier than one in every of them disarmed him and returned hearth, has been detained by a Prepare dinner County choose. However he isn’t charged with taking pictures anybody.
Cruz Ortega, 33, is, nevertheless, charged with aggravated possession of a weapon and illegal use of a weapon in a prohibited place in reference to the September 19 taking pictures inside Mario and Sandra’s Bar & Grill, 3620 South California Avenue, which prosecutors described as a members-only membership.
Prosecutors stated Ortega and a 33-year-old man had been seated close to one another on the bar round 10:39 p.m. when the soon-to-be sufferer stood up from his stool and started displaying off the tattoos on his arm and chest, together with a hoop he was carrying. The sufferer then put his finger in Ortega’s face, prosecutors defined. Ortega punched the person, the person punched again, and the 2 started combating as different patrons moved in to separate them, in line with a detention submitting.
In the course of the wrestle, Ortega pulled a handgun from his pocket and shot the person he had been combating 3 times within the chest, prosecutors stated. The wounded man tried to seize Ortega’s arm, however Ortega maintained management of the gun at that time.
One other 33-year-old man, who was standing close by, started strolling away after the preliminary gunshot. He was struck by gunfire within the hip and decrease again as Ortega and the primary sufferer continued combating, in line with prosecutors.
The unique sufferer ultimately gained management of Ortega’s gun, inflicting the journal to fall to the bottom. One other patron started punching Ortega within the face whereas the bartender picked up the journal, and a distinct patron took the gun from the sufferer’s palms, court docket data state.
Prosecutors stated the primary sufferer then pulled out his personal firearm and shot at Ortega because the wrestle continued. 4 males finally pulled the 2 aside, together with one who pulled Ortega by the hair, and Ortega ran out of the bar. The unique sufferer fired 4 extra photographs on the fleeing Ortega.
Chicago police later recovered two firearms from a trash can on the bar’s again patio. Surveillance video confirmed a girl carrying the weapons to the trash can, in line with the submitting.
About 4 hours after the taking pictures, Ortega known as 911 to report that he had been shot. Officers responded to his residence, the place Ortega claimed he had been strolling on 71st Avenue when somebody shot him within the inside thigh, however he didn’t know the place the gunfire got here from.
Police famous that Ortega’s head had been freshly shaved in a poorly completed and uneven method, with unfastened hair shavings nonetheless masking his face. As CWBChicago reported in September, witnesses described the unique shooter as a Hispanic man with very lengthy hair tied in a ponytail. Investigators finally linked Ortega to the bar taking pictures, in line with court docket data.
Choose Shauna Boliker granted the state’s detention petition.
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