- Kelly Davis wonders what would have happened had he been looking the other way for just a few moments.
He was standing in Daley Plaza, watching his 2-year-old and 4-year-old daughters slide down the Picasso sculpture, when he saw a man rushing toward Myla, the youngest girl, Saturday evening.
The man grabbed the girl's arm, muttering "This is my daughter, Goldilocks," but Davis said he wrestled him away and then chased him through alleys and building lobbies before finally flagging down police.
What? Saturday evening? And it's now Tuesday at 1530 hours when this story hits the Tribune Breaking News site? Almost seventy-two hours and this is "breaking news." Honest to pete, we though we were having iPhone issues when the news alert button chimed. How the hell was this kept quiet?
- "I have no doubt that if I had my back turned, he would have grabbed her and she would have been gone in the city and I would have never seen her again," said Davis, 31, who lives in Zion and drives a school bus.
Oh, a tourist. We have not a doubt in the world that Rahm and Rahm's people made a shitload of calls to the media and demanded they sit on this. Can you imagine the headlines?
- Suburban Child Kidnapped
- Chicago Unsafe for Tourists
- Rahm Cuts Mental Health Budget; Delusional Maniacs Run Rampant
Does anyone have any idea how many calls must have been made and how many people told to keep their mouths shut about this one for it to languish for nearly three fucking days?
Chicago comes off looking insanely (pun intended) bad on this:
- As Davis struggled with the man, their mother Amanda Green grabbed the girls away. "I used myself as a barricade and I told him if he takes another step toward me or my kids, I will beat the ever living (expletive) out of him," Davis said.
The man finally stepped down and began walking away, but Davis said he followed him. "We went through a maze of buildings and streets, he’s looping around. . .Sometimes he’s running, sometimes he’s walking, and I was trying not to lose him," Davis said.
The chase even went through the Chase Bank building. "At the desk, I told them my name and a his description." Around LaSalle and Washington streets, Davis said he spotted police officers and alerted them and the man was arrested.
Green said she was frantic after Davis ran off. "I was standing there, there are no cops coming, I have two very upset children and my boyfriend just took off with some crazy man and I’m standing by myself in the middle of Chicago."
Two-hundred extra police downtown and none around Daley Plaza? Probably all keeping an eye on the wilding crowd.
Journalism is dead in this burg. No way any old time reporter lets this sit for three days. You can't tell us that no one, on a Saturday night, wasn't tipping off someone somewhere about this one. We just don't believe it.