SKOKIE (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - A man arrested for firing a gun during a pro-Palestinian demonstration outside an event in support of Israel over the weekend will not face charges.
The chaotic scene near the Lincolnwood Town Center mall included someone pepper spraying pro-Palestinian supporters, including this woman who spoke to CBS-2.
“Immediately, I ran to the police officer nearby and told him, ‘we all got pepper sprayed, is anything going to happen,” she said.
Reem Townsend said people were antagonizing the pro-Palestinian crowd while police officers stood by.
“They were facing us, the police officers, to just monitor the area and not really paying attention to what was coming at us,” Townsend said.
Gill Vaknin was also disappointed with the police response.
“I feel almost unsafe to be a proud Jew, and I feel like I can’t rely on the police to protect me,” said Vaknin.
A video Sunday night showed a man getting out of his car and chasing a woman with a sign before others in the crowd surrounded him and attacked him until he pulled out a gun and fired into the air.
Police arrested the 39-year-old Chicago man who has a concealed carry license.
He was released without charges.
No one was injured in that event but a person was in a separate hit and run.
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