Three Arrested In Chicago Blow-Dart Gun Shootings

CHICAGO (STNG)  -- Three men were charged with using blow guns to shoot darts at several people on the Southwest Side, police announced Wednesday.

Kevin M. Johnson, 17, of the 5700 block of South Tripp Avenue, was charged with a felony count of aggravated battery, while Frank Bennett Jr., 20, of the 4700 block of South Kilbourn Avenue and Krzysztof Strama, 18, of the 6200 block of South Kilbourn Avenue, were each charged with misdemeanor battery and weapons offenses.

Chicago police arrested the men Sunday after spotting the defendants inside a red Jeep Cherokee in the 4800 block of South Tripp Avenue. Chicago Lawn District officers were on the lookout for the Jeep after monitoring a flash message about several incidents in which “offenders inside a red Jeep were shooting blow darts at victims,” according to a release from Chicago police. When the Jeep was pulled over, officers observed a blow dart gun and numerous needle-tipped darts “in plain view,” the release said.

The men were charged in the dart shooting of a 12-year-old boy, who was struck in the cheek by a dart in an alley in the 5300 block of South Major Avenue about 6:40 p.m. Sunday, according to the release.

Chicago police are investigating as many as three additional incidents that occurred between 6:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and shared information with police in Oak Lawn, where other blow dart shootings were reported Sunday.   

Two volunteers were struck by metal darts as they stood at the corner of 95th and Cicero in Oak Lawn about 3 p.m. Sunday collecting cash for the Oak Lawn Fire Department’s annual boot drive.

The first victim, a fire battalion chief, brushed off the sharp pain he felt in his calf, but when the 41-year-old looked down, he found that a 4-inch dart had pierced his boot and leg, according to police. The firefighter was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn , treated for minor injuries and released, police said.

Minutes later, a 15-year-old volunteer who, along with his father, was collecting money at 107th and Cicero, also was targeted. The teen was walking when he felt a sharp stinging in his left thigh. He looked down and found a 6-inch needle on the pavement. His skin was not punctured and he declined medical attention.