Video footage captured two people assaulting a security guard outside a McDonald’s in downtown Chicago before he managed to pull out his gun.
The footage, captured by a bystander on their cell phone, was captured over the weekend outside a McDonald’s at Chicago Avenue and State Street in the city’s River North neighborhood.
The footage showed two men slamming the guard, 57, into a wall outside the restaurant before hitting him.
Chicago police told NBC Chicago that the guard was escorting the men out of the restaurant when “both offenders began to batter the victim with closed fists repeatedly.”
At one point, one of the assailants grabbed a glass bottle and smashed it over the guard’s heard.
The guard, an off-duty suburban police officer appears to have attempted to use mace to fight back before pulling out a gun on the attackers, prompting them to flee.
Police said that the men fled into a nearby business and began to “taunt” the guard from inside.
By the time officers arrived on the scene, the assailants had fled the area.
Dramatic cell phone video shows security guard assaulted outside downtown Chicago McDonald’s https://t.co/02JxD6V6uM pic.twitter.com/FcQjZm6LVZ
— NBC Chicago (@nbcchicago) April 9, 2019
The owner of the McDonald’s that employs the guard issued a statement after the attack.
“The safety and security of our employees and customers is our top priority,” Nick Karavites, the owner and operator of the McDonald’s franchise, said in the statement, which was obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times. “We are disturbed by this situation and will continue to take appropriate measures to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for our customers.”
The security guard was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for treatment. The extent of his injuries was not clear.
WATCH: Scuffle With McDonald’s Security Guard Ends With Gun Drawn, No Shots Fired https://t.co/IYzjJSu3w3 pic.twitter.com/0vtI25GRbm
— CBS Chicago (@cbschicago) April 9, 2019
Customers said that the guard was fully justified in his actions.
“He was well within his rights. He was being attacked,” John Ivy told CBS Chicago.
“You got to put yourself in his shoes. He’s defending himself. He feels threatened,” added customer A.J. Jones said. “They could have killed that man.”
Alderman Brian Hopkins, whose ward captures part of the Mag Mile, said that officers were already under orders to arrest anyone engaging in criminal behavior after teens wreaked havoc in the area over the weekend.
“There were several hours where it was just mayhem down here,” Hopkins told NBC. Twenty-one people were arrested, including 20 juveniles.
“This is a serious problem we have to stop it, we have a limited number of tools in our toolbox,” Hopkins said. “Arrest is one of the things we can do, so we’re doing it.”
Hopkins told CBS Chicago that previously, police would only disperse groups committing crimes and issue warnings.
“If you come downtown, you will be met with force, and you will be arrested if you commit crimes,” he said about the policy change. “You can’t come down to Michigan Avenue and start punching and kicking random people and not expect to get arrested.”
Thirty-three people were shot over the weekend in the city, including six people at a baby shower.
Eyewitnesses told the Chicago Tribune that there were about 20 children outside at the time. They rushed toward the house as the shots rang out, piling onto each other as they tried to get through the door, Richard Nix, whose oldest grandson was having the baby shower, told the paper.
“We were trying to pick the kids up, get the kids out of the way. … They were going to get crushed,” Nix said. “It wasn’t nothing but kids in front of the house, sitting on the porch. They were just playing, and the shooting went off.”
“The ones that were doing the shooting, none of them get shot,” Nix said. “It’s just all the innocent people.”
