Kane County Reporter

Representative Dan Ugaste said law enforcement in Illinois is not receiving the support it needs, which is leading to senseless acts of violence.

Ugaste said in a Facebook post that a mob attacked a state trooper's vehicle in Chicago recently.

"The Illinois State Police is investigating mob action that occurred in the early hours of Sunday, when people from a mob of 100 began swarming a trooper's vehicle, jumped on the hood, broke the windshield, kicked the vehicle, and threw rocks, bricks, and fireworks," Ugaste said in the post. "This is part of an unacceptable rise in crime in our state. These senseless acts of violence have Illinoisans living in fear of criminals and our law enforcement officers aren't receiving the support and resources they need and deserve. I urge my colleagues in the General Assembly to consider already filed House Republican legislation to address this increase in crime and Back the Badge. If you have information related to Sunday's mob action, please call the ISP District Chicago office at 847-294-4400."

The Illinois State Police said in a now-removed Facebook post that, "The Illinois State Police (ISP) is investigating a mob action that occurred just before 2 a.m. on Sunday, July 3, 2022 at Division St. and Elston Ave. in Chicago. An ISP trooper was driving southbound on I-90 near Division St. and noticed congestion on the exit ramp and eastbound traffic on Division completely stopped. When the trooper approached the intersection of Division and Elston there were several vehicles blocking the intersection and people engaging in reckless driving stunts. At that time, people from a mob of about 100 people began to swarm the ISP trooper's squad vehicle, jumping on the hood, breaking the windshield, kicking the vehicle, and throwing rocks, bricks, and fireworks. This type of dangerous behavior puts the general public at risk and will not be tolerated. ISP is fully investigating the incident, including deploying crime scene evidence technicians. If you have information related to this mob action, please call the ISP District Chicago office at 847-294-4400. If you see this type of behavior, immediately leave the area and contact law enforcement. This is an ongoing investigation and no further information is available at this time."

SafeWise's annual 2022 State of Safety survey found that only 42% of Illinois residents report feeling safe, while 64% reported feeling "high daily concern" for their safety. Of respondents, 13% reported experiencing gun violence firsthand, an increase from 8% the previous year. Mass shooting incidents in Illinois increased by 25% from 2020 to 2021.

Over the Fourth of July weekend this year, 68 people were shot in Chicago, eight of whom were killed, WTTW reported.

As of July 3, there have been 323 murders, 1,295 shooting incidents, 1,011 criminal sexual assaults, 4,026 robberies, 2,837 aggravated batteries, 3,587 burglaries, 8,683 thefts, and 6,500 motor vehicle thefts reported this year in the city of Chicago, according to data from the Chicago Police Department.