In the early hours of April 12, a woman stopped her minivan and fired at a group attempting to enter an Irving Park bar, injuring three men and causing a fourth to be hospitalized due to a knee ligament tear while diving for cover, prosecutors reported on Thursday.
Authorities did not provide a motive for the attack but noted that the suspect, 27-year-old Isathtia Perez, is permitted to own firearms, although she lacks a concealed carry license.
Prosecutors stated that the victims were part of a group trying to access Marinero Bar at 2916 West Irving Park Road around 2:47 a.m. The bar is listed to close at 2 a.m. daily.
Surveillance footage showed a grey Honda Odyssey with noticeable damage to its front right fender passing the bar eastbound, then turning and stopping in the middle of Richmond Street. The driver, identified as Perez, reportedly exited the vehicle and fired at the group, prompting them to seek shelter behind parked cars and trees. Afterward, she re-entered the minivan and left the scene, prosecutors claimed.
Police discovered 14 shell casings at the location, and a detention filing noted that Perez owns a registered 9mm handgun.
The victims included a 37-year-old man with gunshot wounds to his abdomen, hip, back, and arm, who was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center in critical condition. A 38-year-old man was shot in the left thigh and also transported to Masonic, while a 31-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound to the right calf and was taken to St. Francis Hospital. A fourth individual, whose age is unknown, injured his knee ligament while evading the gunfire and was also admitted to Masonic.
Witnesses described the shooter as a heavyset Hispanic woman.
License plate reader technology captured the vehicle’s plate near the crime scene, leading detectives to identify the registration under Perez’s name. Surveillance footage from the Chicago Police Department allegedly tracked the minivan from the location of the shooting to Perez’s residence on the 1300 block of North Keeler Avenue in Humboldt Park. Additional footage reportedly showed her parking, placing an item in the trunk, and entering her home at 3:04 a.m.
Perez is charged with attempted first-degree murder, three counts of aggravated battery by discharging a firearm, unlawful possession of a weapon, and discharging a firearm towards an occupied vehicle. Judge Shauna Boliker approved the state’s request for her detention.
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