"Shooters Just Arrested" (And The Names Are Familiar)

We got a text in the wee hours of the morning from someone who's always given us good information in the past.  He asked to remain anonymous, as well as to keep how he knows this out of the blog, but this is from the scene.  We'll paraphrase it to keep his anonymity, as requested.

"Shooters just arrested.

Police-involved car crash from a chase on LSD @1am.

2 officers injured chasing down the shooters.

I saw Omari Robinson in back of squad.  Four males arrested, one Hispanic, three African American (believed to be from Magnolia).

Also, they --  Magnolia P Stones -- drove over to the 11th Police District (Harrison) and shot two others -- killing one -- after the Sheridan shooting.

Also, the head shot victim from earlier not expected to make it.

Also, 4th victim from Wilson ran to Weiss after getting shot in stomach.  All arrested.  Four in total, all from Magnolia."

Omari Robinson... of the Sugar Magnolia Omari Robinsons.

Update:  Here's the Tribune story, updated at 4:53a.m.:  "Four people were arrested early Saturday morning after their van collided with two police cars pursuing it on southbound Lake Shore Drive, police said. [...] Police saw the van near downtown about 1 a.m. and tried to pull it over. The car fled north on Lake Shore Drive into the Uptown Police District before turning around and heading back south toward downtown, police said.

The pursuit ended after an accident between the van and two police cars in the 2300 block of Lake Shore Drive, just south of Fullerton Avenue." Read the entire article here.

One Of Uptown's "Sugar Magnolias" Sentenced To 45 Years In Prison

One Friday night back in December 2011, four Uptown gang members decided it was time to settle some scores.

They injured four people in a drive-by shooting at the corner of Wilson and Sheridan in the early evening, critically injuring one. They escaped by speeding off down Sheridan... on the sidewalk, which was full of pedestrians.

Later that night on the West Side, a 17-year-old male was shot in the chest shortly after midnight. The shots came from a van full of men matching the descriptions of the Uptown shooters.

The van headed toward Uptown. It was spotted by the police, and a pursuit began. 

The suspects exited at Belmont, were pulled over by an officer, and took off again, heading south in an attempt to avoid capture. What they didn't know was that roadblocks had been set up on the Drive, so the chase ended when they slammed their van into a police vehicle that had been used to create a barricade near Fullerton.

Someone at the scene told us that four men, "all from Magnolia," were pulled from the van. One was Omari Robinson, known in Uptown for being arrested in the "Sugar Magnolia" drug bust ten months earlier. Robinson was taken into custody right there on the Drive.

Another person who was charged with him, Asif Menom, was killed a few months later in a shooting outside Krush nightclub in West Town. We had reports at the time that Omari Robinson was with him, but we could not confirm them.

The wheels of justice grind slowly, but they do grind away. Earlier this fall, Omari Robinson was sentenced to 45 years in prison for attempted murder. Given the time he has already served and the way Illinois computes prison sentences, he will not be eligible for parole until February of 2050.

He was 19 when he was arrested as a Sugar Magnolia for dealing drugs. He was 20 in December 2011. He'll be in his late 50s by the time he has completed his sentence.

When he gets out, no one in his gang (should it still exist, which is doubtful) will remember him. Gang loyalty? A joke. There is no doubt that Uptown is safer with him behind bars, but it's really sad to see young men buy into the life, not realizing that "loyalty" is a one-way street.

Three "Sugar Magnolias" Appear In Court

An update from the Tribune:

"Three men appeared in court Saturday:

• Roy Orr, 25, of the 700 block of West 76th Street was ordered held on $100,000 bail.
• Marcus Davis, 25, of the 4400 block of North Clifton Avenue was ordered held on $150,000 bail.
• Omari Robinson, 19, of the 2900 block of West Touhy Avenue was ordered held on $50,000 bail.

Markus Moore, 29, of the 4700 block of North Monticello Avenue has also been arrested.  All the suspects are charged with delivering drugs."

• Brayant Rogers is being held without bail due to the murder of Brian Green on January 4th.
• Wilbur Jackson is also being held due to his alleged involvement in the shooting at the White Castle at Ridge and Clark on November 27th, on $150,000 bail.

We look forward to hearing more about the arrests of the four remaining Sugar Magnolias.

CPD's "Operation Sugar Magnolia" Hits Uptown Gang & Drug Sales

A very welcome press release:

Chicago Police Target Gang Controlled Drug Market in Town Hall (23rd) District
Six in Custody as result of ‘Operation Sugar Magnolia’

CHICAGO – The Chicago Police Department’s Gang Investigations Unit and Narcotics Unit, assisted by members of the 23rd District successfully concluded a 5-month long investigation on the city’s North Side.

‘Operation Sugar Magnolia’ targeted members of the Black P-Stones street gang operating in and around the area of Magnolia and Wilson in the Uptown neighborhood. This operation closed an estimated $500,000-a-year narcotics enterprise that is responsible for recent gang violence in the area. Two of the individuals charged were already in custody, charged with committing violent crimes.

During the course of the investigation, police were able to seize quantities of cash and crack cocaine. Utilizing surveillance, undercover work and other investigatory techniques, police were able to obtain arrest warrants on 10 individuals involved in gang and narcotics activity in the 23rd District.

The following individuals were arrested and charged as a result of this operation. An additional four individuals are wanted and currently being sought by police.

• Marcus Davis, 25, of the 4400 block of North Clifton is charged with Delivery of a Controlled Substance
• Markus Moore, 29, of the 4700 block of North Monticello is charged with Delivery of a Controlled Substance
• Omari Robinson, 19, of the 2900 block of West Touhy is charged with Delivery of a Controlled Substance
• Roy Orr, 25, of the 700 block of West 76th Street is charged with Delivery of a Controlled Substance
• Brayant Rodgers, 27, of the 7100 block of South Harvard is charged with Delivery of a Controlled Substance. Rodgers was already in custody, charged with First Degree Murder and Aggravated Battery with a Firearm for a shooting that occurred earlier this month in the 4500 block of North Magnolia.
• Wilbur Jackson, 31, of the 4400 block of North Magnolia is charged with Delivery of a Controlled Substance. Jackson was already in custody, charged with Aggravated Battery with a Firearm for a shooting that occurred in late November 2010 in the 5900 block of North Ridge.

All offenders are scheduled to appear at 26th & California on January 15, 2011.

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Here's the story in

• Chicago Breaking News.
• CBS2 News.
• Examiner.com.
• Fox News Chicago.
• Chicago Tribune.
• ABC7 News.

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May we suggest, if you're happy about this, that you let our police know you appreciate their work?

Commander Kathleen Boehmer
Chicago Police Department, 23rd District
850 West Addison St.
Chicago, IL 60613
23ehotline@chicagopolice.org
Fax: 312-744-4481

Or, fill out a form on the ClearPath website to "Compliment An Officer." (For Police Officer's name, we suggest "Kathleen Boehmer," unless you happen to know a specific officer who was involved in the surveillance or arrests.)