CHICAGO — A male cyclist was shot Wednesday after trying to stop a group of offenders in the act of stealing and breaking into cars in Uptown.
Police said in the 1200 block of W. Montrose near Racine around 10:50 p.m., the shooting victim confronted a man he saw was attempting to break into a vehicle parked on the street. The offender then pulled out a gun and shot the male cyclist. Police said a bullet hit the good Samaritan in the arm.
“I’m not totally surprised, but it’s a shame something like that should happen at all,” said Dana Pikoweitz.
“There are people with good hearts here who try to intervene but you have to be careful. You don’t know if the other person has a firearm or not,” added Elizabeth Scott.
The 42-year-old shooting victim was taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital in fair condition.
Police focused on a white pickup truck that had several bullet holes in its side. Officers also found bullet casings in a nearby street.
“You see something like that happen and you want to help, but then you feel guilty if you don’t help. It’s kind of like a rock in a hard place,” Pikoweitz said. “I’m glad he tried to help, but also, I hope he’s OK and recovers because he was just trying to do the right thing.”
Area three detectives are investigating.
No one is in custody.