Man Caught After Firing Shots In Weed Street Nightclub District
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Bond has been set at $250,000 for a man who pulled out a gun and opened fire outside a nightclub in the Weed Street District over the weekend.
Henry Jesus Mendez, 21, of the 4000 block of West Oakdale Avenue, was charged Sunday with one count each of felony aggravated fleeing police and felony reckless discharge of a firearm, police said.
The incident started about 4:05 a.m. Sunday, when officers on patrol heard shots fired in the 1500 block of North Kingsbury Street, police News Affairs Officer Robert Perez said.
It turned out the shots were coming from about a block away, outside the Republic Chicago nightclub at 1520 N. Fremont St. The shots rang out in response to a quarrel two women had with someone outside the club, police said.
The women -- Tiffany Marie Sanchez, 24, and Vanessa Fernandez, 20 -- left the scene and later came back in a vehicle with Mendez, who allegedly fired a handgun at numerous people on the street, police said. Nobody was injured.
Witnesses pointed out the blue Honda Civic to the patrol officers, who chased the car until it crashed into a pole on the northwest corner of Sheffield and Belmont avenues – outside an Einstein Bros. Bagel shop and just steps from the busy Belmont Red-Brown-Purple line 'L' station, police said. A handgun was recovered.
Four people inside the vehicle fled and police captured three, Perez said.
Bond was set at $250,000 for Mendez, according to the Cook County Sheriff's office. His next court date has been scheduled for Sept. 12 in North Felony Court (Br. 42).
Sanchez, of the 3200 block of West Cortland Street, and Fernandez, of the 6900 block of West Belmont Avenue, were each charged with misdemeanor reckless conduct, police said.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
