Articles Posted in Violent Crimes

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mingyue-sun-153025-300x169A man involved in a bizarre love triangle was charged with murder after a shooting in Evanston. Sandoval Cobian, 38 years old, is facing murder charges after allegedly shooting his romantic rival in the north suburb. The Chicago native was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, as reported by Evanston police.

On Friday, March 15, officers found Angel Miranda, 33 years old, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the abdomen and chest. He was located behind a residence in the 1800 block of Simpson Street and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Miranda, who was a resident of the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago, was visiting his girlfriend. She found him shot and called authorities. Investigators later learned Cobian and Miranda were romantically involved with the same woman. Police reported that Cobian shot Miranda because of jealousy and a “romantic rivalry.” Cobian was ordered held without bail. His next court date is set for the end of March.

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matt-popovich-60437-copy-300x162A man was charged with attempted murder after a shootout in South Shore on the night of the Chicago mayoral election. 38-year-old Flamingo Jones was charged with attempted first-degree murder of a police officer. As stated by Cook County prosecutors, on February 26th at 7:30 p.m., police in plain clothes sitting in an unmarked cruiser were investigating an individual wanted on an arrest warrant. During the investigation, they saw Jones on the 7400 block of South Bennett Avenue.

Jones fled on foot after seeing the officers, who were wearing ballistic vests and badges that identified them as police. The officers gave chase, with one of them catching up to Jones. The officer saw Jones holding a firearm and ordered Jones to drop the weapon. Jones continued to run, jumping over a fence with the gun in hand.

According to Assistant State’s Attorney Jamie Santini, the officer feared for his life and discharged his weapon but did not strike Jones. As he emerged from an alley, Jones aimed his weapon toward the officer, at which point the officer fired at Jones again. Jones fell to the ground and shot at the officer. He then fired at uniformed police as they arrived on the scene. The uniformed officers returned fire, shooting Jones in the feet.

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Many residents of Chicago and the surrounding area view violent crime as something completely out of their control. Fighting violent crime in Chicago takes the coordinated effort of police and residents of the city.

So far this year, shootings and homicides have a downward trend according to police. To date, there have been 44 homicides compared to 80 at this point in 2018. That is a decrease of 55%. In January and February of this year, there were 214 shootings. The first two months of 2018 experienced 282. The number of people who were shot decreased to 253 in 2019 from 345 last year. There have been 40% fewer homicides compared to the same period last year.

Though the numbers have been dropping, Chicago is still plagued with a disproportionate amount of crime when compared to many other cities around the country. A violent crimes defense lawyer will be able to help with your case if you have been charged or arrested.

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brandi-ibrao-1140359-unsplash-copy-300x225Chicago marked a memorable day on the calendar this month — January 14, 2019.

That was the first day in 2019 when there were no reports of gun violence in the city. The day before, three people were wounded after being shot, but no one was killed. According to police, most of the violent crime and killing in Chicago is related to gang activity. Members commonly fight over territory they feel is theirs or retaliate against perceived offenses by rival gangs.

The level of crime in the city has remained steady in recent years for the most part. Last year, the number of homicides decreased in many areas of Chicago but increased in other areas of the West and South sides. Neighborhoods such as West Garfield Park and Englewood are still seeing much violence that is gang or gun related.

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daniel-garcia-473223-unsplash-copy-300x199Violent crimes occur just about anywhere, but they most often occur in the city. Chicago is no exception. Being charged with a violent crime can force you to put your life on hold, especially if you are convicted and sentenced to time in prison. The minute you are arrested and charged with a violent crime, you need to contact an experienced criminal defense attorney to begin fighting for your freedom. Let’s take a look at the crimes that are considered violent:

Domestic Violence

Quite possibly one of the most common types of violent crime is that of domestic violence. Domestic violence is when one person uses behavior, language, and threats in an attempt to control or intimidate someone else. It most often occurs between family members, such as parents and adult children, siblings, spouses, partners and anyone living together. You do not technically have to be married to be involved in a domestic dispute. You do not even have to be living together. You could be divorced, separated, or dating.

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ben-white-194220-copy-300x200In Bloomington, a verdict hangs in the air around a 2016 home invasion case. An armed robbery occurred in the home of a Bloomington couple, and the defendant is being charged with attempted murder, armed robbery, home invasion, and a weapons charge. One member of the group of three posed as a pizza delivery man and made his way into the home, at which point the group demanded $40,000 in cash from the couple. While the details of the cash remain contested, and the total number of men involved and their degree of involvement is debatable, what remains clear is that home invasion happens all too frequently. When it does, victims need an attorney with a history of fighting criminal issues in Chicago.

How to Find a Good Attorney

If you are facing a similar situation, or you too have faced a home invasion case recently, whether as the victim or the defendant, you need legal help. Hiring just any attorney will not do. You need an expert in Home invasion laws. Expert attorneys know the latest changes that Illinois lawmakers have put into effect regarding home invasions. By definition, home invasion differs from other violations in that it only covers entering an inhabited dwelling and causing injury. However, it can also cover entering an inhabited dwelling and using or threatening to use force while armed. In the case of the latter, you might need an expert in weapons cases to lead the charge in your favor after a home invasion.  

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alyssa-kibiloski-195807-copy-300x200Recent studies show that hate crimes in Chicago have increased by 20% between 2015 and 2016. New police data show that hate crimes are at a five-year high and have outpaced previous years. In fact, data show that since the last election, the number of victims of hate crimes has increased. People are treated differently, and the social dynamics of the city are shifting. Most hate crimes reported in the city have historically been toward gay men and blacks, but now they are increasingly toward Arabs, Muslims, and Hispanics. News reports continue show videos of city dwellers confronting women and men for wearing shirts that support other nations, other religions, and other races.

What Constitutes a Hate Crime?

Legally, hate crimes are any crimes motivated by some form of bias. Hate crimes are violent acts that target groups or individuals based on an identifier such as nationality, race, sexual orientation, or religion. Someone can be charged with committing a hate crime when he or she acts violently against a religious establishment or house of worship based solely on the nature of that institution. Expert attorneys know the latest changes that Illinois lawmakers have put into effect regarding these violent crimes.

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a-l-117960-copy-300x198Although crime has been on the decline in Chicago as of late, carjacking is still a common occurrence throughout the city. Due to the nature of a city/urban environment, many people live in close quarters who are using vehicles for their commute, leading to the prevalence of this particular crime. Car jacking crimes can take on many different forms. For example, carjacking is nearly always more of a serious offense than car theft due to the vehicle being taken by force or intimidation, or sometimes both. Certain actions leading up to the illegal obtainment of the vehicle may qualify as an aggravating factor to your offense.

Under Illinois law, an aggravated carjacking is sentenced as a class X felony, which is a mandatory six to 30 years in prison, while a plain carjacking offense is a class 1 with a four-to-15-year minimum sentence.

Armed and Dangerous

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fabian-grohs-396734-copy-300x240Social media serves the useful purpose of encouraging individuality and creativity in users. Although a majority of the content on social media is harmless, it can turn lethal when it turns abusive. Crimes on social media are on the rise. This includes abuse of a specific group of people or a specific person.

Posting videos of torture and other crimes is another instance of social media abuse. The recent Chicago crime of a woman, Brittany Covington, and her accomplices who abused a mentally disabled man with racial insults and torture is one such instance.

Overstepping Social Boundaries

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a-l-117960-copy-300x198Law enforcement officers are cracking down heavily on carjacking cases in Chicago. The stiff sentence given to the accused in a violent November carjacking is a prime example. Another similar case of carjacking involved the car of a retired cop in Chicago. There have been several such cases in the past year alone.

Carjacking is increasingly becoming a menace in Chicago. The federal authorities are showing a keen interest in punishing the offenders. This further increases the conviction chances for the offenders.

Carjacking Crimes in Chicago

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