Mob attacks target victims in downtown Chicago, Near North Side

June 11, 2012 (CHICAGO)

Seven teenagers and an 18-year-old adult are now charged with mob action in one of the attacks.

In each incident the victims were injured.

The latest attack happened Sunday night near DeWitt and Pearson. There was also an attack Saturday night in the 500-block of North State and then another attack Saturday night in the 100-block of North State Street.

All of the attacks appear to be completely random. They are reminiscent of a series of mob attacks that happened around the same time last year in the same part of the city.

"It's like taking our neighborhood away, because we don't feel as safe," said Gold Coast resident Mary Beth.

Residents don't feel safe, says Mary Beth, because over the weekend those who live in the area around Water Tower Place are seeing a repeat of last year's mob attacks in the city's downtown area. The latest one happened Sunday night on the 800-block of North DeWitt Place.

Police say a 36-year-old man was walking home from work when he was attacked out of the blue by a group of teenagers. It is the third such incident in the last two days.

On ABC7 Monday morning Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy addressed the weekend violence.

"It's going to take some time," McCarthy said. "It doesn't make anybody feel better, but we're doing better than last year ,and it's going to take a while to get under control because it didn't get like this overnight."

Police have not made any arrests in Sunday's incident, but Monday morning, 18-year-old Mitchell Coradarrowe was in bond court, charged with the attack Saturday that left a 40-year-old tourist with a broken jaw. Coradarrowe is one of seven people arrested for that incident, which happened on the 500-block of North State Street.

Katie Kinder says, that same night, a large mob of teenagers provoked a police response in her Gold Coast neighborhood.

"You walk outside, and right at this corner there were 30-40 kids," said Kinder. "It's scary. And what can you do? You're one person."

And, after this latest mob attack, Kinder says, her condo building is already warning residents to be more aware of their surroundings.

"They just reminded us to keep doors closed, locked," Kinder said.

Police don't believe any of the incidents are related in terms of perpetrators, but what they do have in common is that they took place over an extremely weekend downtown.

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