|
|
| Gang Battle Suspected In Ill. Jail Fracas |
| By NBC5 |
| Published: 07/01/2003 |
|
Charges could be forthcoming in a weekend gang-related brawl among inmates in a maximum-security wing of Cook County Jail that left two men hospitalized Monday. Officials were investigating the Sunday night fight, which involved as many as 18 gang members housed in Division of the jail at 2834 W. 31st St., according to sheriff's department spokesman Bill Cunningham. 'There's nothing right now, but (the fight) is being investigated by the sheriff's police,' Cunningham said. 'There's always a chance that within the next week or so there could be charges against some of those involved.' The fracas began shortly after 9 p.m. in the common area in the maximum-security division, Cunningham said. Five people were taken to outside hospitals for treatment of injuries suffered in the fight. Two remained at outside hospitals Monday afternoon --one at Mt. Sinai Hospital with a puncture wound to the torso and one at Stroger Hospital of Cook County with head trauma, according to Cunningham. He did not have information about their conditions. Ten other inmates were treated at Cermak Health Services in the jail complex for less-serious injuries related to the incident. While it was unclear what touched off the melee, Cunningham said it clearly involved 16 to 18 members of two gangs. Often, two inmates with different gang affiliations get into a dispute in the common area, their 'comrades' come to their defense and the situation escalates into a serious brawl, Cunningham said. He stressed that was not necessarily the case in this particular fight. The inmate who remained at Mt. Sinai and the three inmates treated at outside hospitals and returned to the jail all were stabbed with homemade 'shanks' during the fight, according to Cunningham. The section of Division 9 in which the fight occurred remained on lockdown Monday as the investigation progressed, Cunningham said. He said roughly 200 inmates were housed in that area of the jail. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think