Oak Lawn Investigating If Shooting Tied To Troubled Chuck E. Cheese
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Officials in southwest suburban Oak Lawn were investigating whether a shooting over the weekend was connected to a Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant that has been the scene of several fights over the past few years.
The victim told Evergreen Park police he had just left the Chuck E. Cheese at 95th and Pulaski in Oak Lawn, when someone in a black Jeep opened fire on him as the two were headed east on 95th near Spaulding Avenue in Evergreen Park shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday.
The victim drove himself to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn for injuries to his lip and lower back, and was released.
In a statement on her Facebook page, Oak Lawn Mayor Sandra Bury said the village is investigating whether the shooting was connected to the Chuck E. Cheese. She said the village's legal team has asked the police department for all relevant documents and videos from the incident.
"Should these documents confirm that Oak Lawn's Chuck E Cheese is connected to this incident, we have jointly requested that proceedings begin immediately in accordance with our municipal code," Bury said.
Oak Lawn Trustee Alex Olejniczak said if the shooting is connected to the pizza joint, it should be shut down.
"If this is at all related to anything that happened in, on, or near Chuck E. Cheese, I would be looking to go for proceedings for elimination of their business license," he said.
Trustee Bob Streit agreed. Both tried to shut down the pizza joint earlier this year after, repeated 911 calls about the restaurant.
"We have about 50 911 calls to Chuck E. Cheese every year for the last four years. There have been other shootings," Streit said.
A few months ago, Streit and Olejniczak presented a motion requesting a hearing to revoke the restaurant's business license.
"The issue here is the safety of our children and their families," he said.
The motion failed, but Streit said he plans to present it again.
"I think it is time that we serve them notice – that is, Chuck E. Cheese notice – that we are seeking to revoke their business license and hold public hearings," he said.
Chuck E. Cheese's has denied the shooting was connected to the Oak Lawn restaurant.
"We are aware of the shooting that took place Saturday evening in the Evergreen Park community, several blocks away from our establishment. We have confirmed that there was no altercation or issue at our restaurant and we were not involved in this incident. As a business in the community, we are fully cooperating with the Evergreen Park Police Department in their investigation. We also want to assure parents and caregivers that we take great measures to protect the experience that children and families have in our restaurants. Safety is one of our core values, and many of the measures we have in place, such as Kid Check®, are transparent to our guests to encourage an environment Where a Kid Can Be a Kid. Maintaining a wholesome, safe experience that sets a standard across our more than 598 restaurants is of utmost important to us."
