Police Search For Gunman In Gold Coast Attempted Carjacking; Aftermath Caught On Cell Phone Video
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago police are trying to track down a gunman who shot a man during an attempted carjacking in the city's Gold Coast neighborhood. The victim's girlfriend witnessed it all.
It happened around 10:30 p.m. Thursday near Chestnut and Wabash in front of an alley.
A witness who lives right across the street rushed down to help and caught the aftermath on camera, moments after the man was shot in the neck.
"I saw the guy laying on the ground here, and his girlfriend was just broken. I mean she was absolutely shattered," said witness Lance Houia. "Then about 30 seconds later there was about 20 officers here."
Houia rushed from his apartment to help after hearing the shot.
"It's scary. It's absolutely scary out here now," he said.
Police say right after the shooting, the gunman hopped into a Honda SUV and got away.
The victim was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Police say it was an attempted carjacking -- a problem increasingly plaguing the city. At this time last year there were 358 carjackings in Chicago, compared to 651 so far this year.
Just last week Mayor Lori Lightfoot addressed the issue in a press conference.
"A reporter asked what can be done about these criminals, and she yelled back and said we should be focusing about the victims in the hospital," said Houia. "I agree to a point, but we should be focused on these criminals because if we can stop them, there won't be any victims. It's just sad, really sad for our city and the Gold Coast here, and not only that, it's happening everywhere. So I don't know what we have to do to try and stop this."