McDonald's at State and Chicago shut down over hazardous electrical conditions

CHICAGO (CBS) – The McDonald's location at Chicago and State Street is still shut down.

CBS 2's Tim McNicholas explains that the owner has a lot of work to do before they can re-open.

A tribute to the victims of the shooting -- balloons tied to the fence outside the McDonald's. And around noon, the city's budlings department shut this restaurant down.

City inspectors visited the restaurant today and found hazardous electrical conditions. The owner will need to repair that to reopen.

That inspection was done at the request of the Chicago Police Department. They're no strangers to this block and we've reported on crime happening here for years -- including two McDonald's security guards attacked here since 2019.

We've also reported on two stabbings this year at the Red Line station right outside.

In fact, crime data shows since 2018, this block is the second-worst block for violent crime on the entire Near North Side with 74 violent crimes trailing behind Huron Street which had 135 crimes that year. 

Chicago police say they plan to have a permanent presence on this block in the immediate future and nearby business owners welcome that.

"There's a lotta young people and they're running around all the time. They're fighting once in a while, but it's never been this bad. This is ridiculous," said Afredo Fricano, Barbershop owner.

And the city's Business Affairs office plans to meet with the owner of McDonald's. They'll discuss whether the restaurant's 24/7 hours or anything else needs to change to address the crime issues.

The owner of this McDonald's is a Nicholas Karavitas. We tried to reach him by phone, and he said, "I'm sorry I can't talk, I'm busy dealing with something right now," then hung up. 

A source close to the owner says the restaurant has never been shut down for violations and questions today's shutdown. 

In:
• State Street
• McDonald's