- Credibility:
LINCOLN SQUARE — An Irving Park man is charged with attempted murder in connection with a shooting that led to a police chase and ended with a driver crashing into Lincoln Square’s bustling Giddings Plaza.
Alexandru Mihai, 19, will appear in bond court Thursday. He has been charged with attempted murder, possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of a controlled substance, police said.
Mihai drove a stolen car that had a gun in it and was involved in a Tuesday shooting, police said.
The shooting happened about 2 p.m. Tuesday in the 4200 block of North Western Avenue.
Someone in a stolen Porsche SUV pulled alongside the victim’s car and fired shots, hitting the victim, police said.
The driver of the Porsche then “[fled] at a high rate of speed” from police, leading the driver to crash into a building in Lincoln Square’s Giddings Plaza, police said. Two guns were found, police said.
Police said the shooting victim was a 25-year-old man who was taken to Swedish Hospital in good condition and later released.
But Ald. Matt Martin (47th) said police told him the victim was a woman FedEx driver. Fire Department spokesman Larry Merritt said the victim was a woman who was taken to Swedish Hospital in good condition.
Eyewitnesses said a second person fled from the SUV after the crash. Police said Wednesday the investigation was ongoing.
Witnesses who talked to Block Club said one man fled down an alley behind Giddings Street while the other ran onto Lincoln Avenue and into Garcia’s Restaurant, 4760 N. Lincoln Ave. — only to encounter a group of police officers eating lunch.
“The guy ran in when there were several cops in the restaurant having lunch,” said Garcia’s manager Braulio Garcia. “It was a table of seven and they all just got up, started chasing him. I’m thankful they were here when it happened.”
Officers are asking neighbors to contact the 19th District at 312-744-0064 or CAPS.019district@chicagopolice.org with any information about the shooting and crash.
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