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Wicker Park Fest: Mob Attacked Teen in Alley Over Molly Drug, Witnesses Say

By Alisa Hauser | July 28, 2014 3:06pm
 Wicker Park Fest images from late Sunday.
Wicker Park Fest Late Sunday Night
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WICKER PARK — A man who allegedly was handing out Ecstasy pills in an alley after Wicker Park Fest Sunday was beaten by a group of people trying to steal the drugs, witnesses said.

Police said they responded to a call on North Damen Avenue and an ambulance was sent. However, no arrests were reported and the ambulance did not transport anyone, officials said.

Several teenage witnesses said they saw the attack around 11 p.m. in an alley just north of the popular eatery Big Star at 1531 N. Damen Ave.

Using a popular name for the street drug Ecstasy, a witness to the attack said in an interview Sunday night: "Dude got hit with a bottle was giving out free Molly."

"Some guy tried to get all his Molly and hit him in the head; people ran, the Molly was everywhere. Never seen so much Molly in my life," the witness added.

After the attack, witnesses saw other people pick up the Molly. The drug is ingested as a pill or snorted or swallowed as a powder.

A female witness who did not want to be identified described the attack was "a lot of guys on one person."

Ulysses Salamanca, owner of Flash Taco at 1570 N. Damen Ave., said that he saw the victim's attackers escape on the CTA Damen Blue Line "L" before police and an ambulance arrived. 

"They beat the living daylights out of him. I had my guy call in [to police]," Salamanca said, referring to one of two private security workers he'd hired to watch his restaurant during the festival. 

Salamanca described the incident as "a mob-bashing thing," adding he was "not sure how the victim got away."

"It made me concerned for the guy," Salamanca said of the beating victim.

Salamanca said his security workers could not intervene because of liability issues.

"Based on what I saw, the police were responsive, and they were there quickly," Salamanca said.

Officer Ron Gaines, a Chicago Police Department spokesman, confirmed that "calls came up that a teenager was being beaten up," but there were no arrests.

After the festival ended, police could be seen going through the Wicker Park, the public park at 1425 N. Damen Ave., around 11 p.m, Sunday announcing that the park was closed, prompting people to leave. 

Around midnight, several Shakespeare police district officers were observed in the 1500 block of North Milwaukee, with one officer explaining they were "showing their presence" to revelers who had been asked to leave the area.

Shakespeare District Cmdr. Frank Valadez said the fest weekend had been "overall successful," according to Officer Janel Sedevic, a Police Department spokeswoman.

"[Valadez] said there were numerous calls regarding large crowds that were handled, and a few battery reports were created. But since a lot of that occurred when the fest was over and spilled over to neighboring bars, restaurants and other establishments, it's difficult to pinpoint how many [incidents] were from the fest itself," Sedevic said.

A separate incident, a fight in the park over a stolen backpack, happened around 9 p.m. Saturday, said witness Dante Valenzuela, a 19 year-old Logan Square resident.

"Ambulances came, but everyone cleared out of the park as soon as they came," Valenzuela said.

Also, Sedevic said that the Chicago Fire Department responded to a call of a man "bleeding from the head and highly intoxicated" around 1:37 a.m. Saturday in front of the Lokal lounge at 1904 W. North Ave. Since no police report was filed, Sedevic said it is unknown if the bleeding was from a fight.

The man "could have hit his head on a curb," Sedevic said.

Despite the incidents, many business owners called the fest, a fundraiser for the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, a success.

Beth Sholtis, interim director of the chamber, said "the music was really popular" this year and she "had a blast all weekend long." 

Sholtis said information about revenue and attendance "could be available in one month."

Eric Williams, owner of The Silver Room at 1442 N. Milwaukee Ave., said the extra traffic resulted in more people seeing his shop and contributing to a strong weekend of sales.

"The quality of the people is a different story, and a lot of people are here just to drink," Williams said.

Chris Busse, a co-owner of Penguin Foot Pottery at 2514 W. Armitage Ave. in Logan Square, said that his vendor booth went well.

"We have had sign-ups for our BYOB ceramics workshops, and it is a good chance to get the word out to people since we do not do traditional advertising," Busse said.

In a tweet to a reporter who inquired about food sales, Cheesie's Pub and Grub replied that the last few days were "one of the most awesome weekends the truck has ever had. We can't wait until the fall!"

A grilled cheese sandwich food truck that has an eatery in Lakeview, Cheesie's Pub and Grub is planning to open its second stand-alone eatery at 1365 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Wicker Park.

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