A person accused of capturing a hid carry holder on the Crimson Line this summer season was purported to be confined to his residence beneath one of many Cook dinner County Chief Decide’s digital monitoring applications, however he was as an alternative on the streets, one in every of many violations he racked up within the weeks earlier than the assault, in response to court docket data reviewed by CWBChicago.
The case provides to the rising issues about apparently lax operations of the court docket’s digital monitoring applications within the wake of final week’s brutal fireplace assault aboard a Blue Line prepare within the Loop by Lawrence Reed, a person who was additionally purported to be at residence on an ankle monitor.
Henry Seals, 24, is charged with reckless discharge of a firearm after prosecutors stated he took a person’s handgun and shot him throughout a chaotic confrontation aboard a Crimson Line prepare close to Sox-Thirty fifth on the afternoon of June 24.
Seals’ pending felony drug case file reveals he shouldn’t have been on the prepare in any respect. Decide Arthur Willis positioned him on digital monitoring in April, ordering him to remain inside his residence always apart from a window between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays.
A court docket officer’s report of non-compliance dated Might 30 reveals Seals blew by way of these restrictions repeatedly. On Might 12, he violated curfew 3 times for a complete of 4 hours. The following day, the report listed 20 violations totaling a number of hours. Seven violations have been recorded on Might 14. Two extra on Might 15, together with one six-hour stretch throughout which he was apparently on the streets.
Regardless of the mounting violations, Seals remained on this system. After a Might 30 listening to, he was launched once more and racked up one other wave of violations on June 6, June 7, June 8, June 9, and June 18, in response to one other non-compliance report filed July 1.
However Seals failed to seem in court docket on July 1. He additionally failed to seem on July 8 and July 10, in response to court docket data. Decide Willis lastly issued a warrant for his arrest after the third no-show.
Whereas parts of the July 1 violations report are obscured within the court docket document, it seems that Seals’ monitor stopped monitoring him round June 19. However the chief decide’s employees just isn’t approved to seek out violators, so he remained on the unfastened, unmonitored for weeks. Together with on June 24, a Tuesday when he was purported to be at residence, however was as an alternative, in response to prosecutors, capturing a person on the Sox-Thirty fifth Road Crimson Line platform.
Prosecutors stated Seals and an confederate have been squirting one another with water weapons on the prepare round 4:32 p.m., and the water struck the sufferer, a licensed hid carry holder. The person objected, and an argument started.
When the sufferer opened his backpack and positioned his hand inside, prosecutors stated Seals’ companion put the person in a chokehold whereas Seals punched him repeatedly within the face and took his backpack. Seals allegedly put his hand contained in the bag and left the prepare at Sox-Thirty fifth.
The sufferer managed to interrupt free, adopted Seals, and tackled him on the platform. Through the scuffle, prosecutors stated Seals reached into the bag, grabbed the sufferer’s Glock, and fired it, hanging the person within the decrease left buttock. Surveillance cameras recorded the whole encounter. Seals allegedly ran out of the station with the sufferer’s gun.
The sufferer returned to the prepare and was picked up by an ambulance on the Roosevelt station.
Detectives used facial recognition software program on CTA surveillance photographs to determine Seals by matching footage to his driver’s license picture, prosecutors stated. The sufferer picked Seals out of a photograph lineup, and 4 Chicago cops who had beforehand arrested or encountered Seals on the Crimson Line over the previous 12 months additionally recognized him.
Officers tried to find Seals for months, and so they ultimately caught up with him this month. By then, the sufferer stopped cooperating. So, somewhat than being charged with capturing the hid carry holder, Seals is charged with reckless discharge of a firearm. Decide Shauna Boliker granted the state’s detention petition.
Unique reporting you’ll see nowhere else, paid for by our readers. Click on right here to help our work.
