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**LEAD STORY**
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ENN 6/17/96 09:07CDT
CHICAGO AUTHORITIES PLAN WELL;
ORDER MAINTAINED
By Steve Macko, ENN Editor
CHICAGO (ENN) - Five thousand Chicago Police officers worked to keep celebrations under control
on Sunday night after the Chicago Bulls defeated the Seattle SuperSonics 87-75 to win their fourth
NBA championship in six years. There were sporadic reports of looting and isolated violent incidents,
mostly on the city's West and South Sides. Officers dressed in riot gear appeared to do a very good job
in keeping any widespread mayhem down to a minimum.
Police were ready and they had two dress rehearsals in the past week for Sunday's operation. In past
years, the police operated on what they called a modified New Year's Eve plan. It was determined that
plan was inadequate to combat the disturbances that occurred in past years. After the Bulls won the
championship in 1992, 1,000 people were arrested and 200 people were injured in widespread
violence and looting. This year, the CPD devised a new, much tougher plan to deal with any rowdy
behavior and it appeared to work much better. Sunday night's extra security cost Chicago about $1.5
million. The total city expense for the three night's of extra security is expected to come to about $3.2
million.
Calls to the Chicago 911 Emergency Communications Center on the city's near West Side peaked
during the first hour right after the end of the game, between 2100 and 2200 CDT. By midnight, the call
volume had returned to about normal.
There were many isolated incidents. The Chicago Police Department's 15th District on the West Side
was kept very busy. All total, 100 people were arrested in Chicago. A total of ten people were shot in
eight different shooting incidents -- three of the ten victims were fatally shot. There were many, many
shots fired in celebration of the Bulls victory. Police believe, however, that seven of the ten victims shot
had no connection to the celebration. In other words, they were not victims of accidental shootings.
One of the shootings happened at 2211 CDT in the 7th Police District at 6543 South Sangamon Street
on Chicago's South Side. Another happened at 2300 CDT on the West Side at Cicero Avenue and
Washington Street in the 15th District.
After leaving the basketball game, one woman was shot twice in the face by errant gunfire while she was
driving home on South California Avenue. She was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center.
One drug store on the city's West Side was looted. When police officers arrived on the scene, about 75
to 100 youths began to pelt the officers with rocks and bottles. No officers were injured in this incident,
but there was a stand-off between the police and the youths that lasted for more than an hour.
Several police and fire vehicles throughout the city were damaged by rocks and bottles. One Chicago
Fire Department member was reported injured by a flying missile.
On the fire department side of things, South Side EMS units were very busy handling a large number of
calls. Fire units on Chicago's West Side handled a number of fires, especially in the 13th battalion. At
2121 CDT, there a working fire at 203 North Kostner Avenue. A 2-story vacant wood frame dwelling
was reported to be fully involved. While still working at the above mentioned blaze, the chief of the 13th
battalion, himself, reported a working fire at 4409 West Maypole Avenue. There was another good
working fire at about 2300 CDT in the 18th battalion on the city's South Side at 1008 West 71st Street.
The fire department placed a number of extra ambulances and engine companies in service for the
evening. There was a large number of rubbish and car fires reported in various portions of the city.
One of the more serious incidents reported by the fire department was at 82nd Street and Halsted
Street on Chicago's South Side at 2143 CDT. Engine Company 73 reported a person hit by a car and a
gang fight/mob scene involving several people. Engine 73 became the victim of thrown bottles and had
to pull out of the area until police arrived.
Other reported incidents occurred at 2150 CDT when a car with six male balcks attempted to run down
a police officer in the street at 47th Street and Indiana Avenue on the South Side. At 2314 CDT, a store
was looted and bottles were thrown at the police at 18th Street and Homan Avenue on the West Side.