Alderman, Residents Want Answers After Airbnb SWAT Standoff
CHICAGO (CBS)-- A party at an Airbnb rental turned into a seven-hour SWAT standoff in Lincoln Park Sunday.
Now, as Chicago police examine several guns recovered from the scene, an alderman is aiming to understand how this happened in the first place.
Chicago police said two assault rifles, seven handguns and ammunition taken during Sunday's swat stand-off at a Lincoln Park property are being looked over by crime lab technicians.
Meanwhile the alderman Scott Waguespeck and residents want answers from Airbnb.
TJ Hallmark told CBS 2, he witnessed officers in full riot gear carrying guns and saw an armored truck parked outside.
"We counted 30 people they had brought out of the house," resident TJ Hallmark said.
He saw an armor truck outside the residence that he said looked like it was "straight out of Iraq."
Police said a SWAT standoff lasted over 7 hours and no arrests have been made.
The Clybourn Avenue property is part of alderman Waguespeck's ward. He said new measures need to be put in place.
"We need better measures to make sure Airbnb is following guidelines that the city wants in place," Waguespeck said.
He said he is contacting Chicago's Business Affair and Consumer Protections office to ensure this does not happen again.
"What we are trying to figure out right now is how we are going to rein that in and what sort of rules we can enforce," he said.
In a statement sent to CBS 2 news by Airbnb, the guest and listing have been removed while they investigate.
"We've removed the guest and listing from our community as we urgently investigate," Ben Breit of Airbnb, Chicago public affairs manager said."We are going to have to do a deep dive not just with this property but across the entire city."
And it isn't only Chicago.
Three people were charged in July of 2017 after a police raid of at an Airbnb rental in Memphis.
Last week, an Indiana man opened the door to his Airbnb rental and saw bullet holes in the ceiling. Police said a woman was shot during a rowdy party at his property.
CBS2 looked up the Chicago property online and reached out to the man listed as the owner and when asked about Sunday's swat situation, he refused to comment.
Chicago police said they are not certain when their testing of the recovered weapons and ammunition will be complete.
