Three teenage boys now face charges in the killing of a man on a Loop street over the weekend, Chicago Police announced Tuesday.
Shortly after 7 a.m. Sunday, CPD officers found a man stabbed to death in the 200 block of South Wabash. The victim remained unidentified as of Tuesday, but the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office said he died of a stab wound to the back. His death was ruled a homicide.
Cook County Crime Stoppers, which offered a reward for information on any suspects, said it was likely the victim was homeless.
Two of the suspects, ages 14 and 16, were charged with first-degree murder, and the older teen was also charged with mob action, according to police. Another boy, also 14, was charged with armed robbery.
Police said the three were taken into custody Sunday afternoon in the Heart of Chicago neighborhood. The suspects’ names were also withheld and it was not clear when they’d make initial appearances in court.
The fatal stabbing came on the heels of two other high-profile instances of violence in the city’s downtown area. Last week, a man with a long history of arrests allegedly set a woman on fire as she rode the CTA Blue Line through the Loop. Federal prosecutors have since filed terrorism charges against the suspect, who yelled “I plead guilty!” during his first appearance in court.
Late last Friday, two shootings in the Loop left a 14-year-old boy dead and eight other teens wounded. No charges have been filed in either case.