A man accused of opening fire during a brawl at a Southwest Side bar, wounding two men before one of them disarmed him and fired back, has been arrested by a Cook County judge. But he is not accused of shooting anyone.
However, Cruz Ortega, 33, is charged with aggravated possession of a weapon and unlawful use of a weapon in a prohibited place in connection with the Sept. 19 shooting at Mario and Sandra’s Bar & Grill, 3620 South California Avenue, which prosecutors described as a members-only club.
Prosecutors said Ortega and a 33-year-old man were sitting next to each other at the bar around 10:39 p.m. when the would-be victim got up from his stool and began showing off the tattoos on his arm and chest, along with a ring he was wearing. The victim then put his finger in Ortega’s face, prosecutors explained. Ortega punched the man, the man punched back and the two began fighting when other patrons moved in to separate them, according to an arrest file.
During the struggle, Ortega pulled a gun from his pocket and shot the man he had been fighting with three times in the chest, prosecutors said. The wounded man tried to grab Ortega’s arm, but Ortega maintained control of the gun at the time.
Another 33-year-old man, who was standing nearby, started walking away after the first shot. According to prosecutors, he was struck by gunfire in the hip and lower back as Ortega and the first victim continued to fight.
The original victim eventually gained control of Ortega’s gun, causing the magazine to fall to the ground. Another patron began punching Ortega in the face as the bartender picked up the magazine, and another patron took the gun from the victim’s hands, court records show.
Prosecutors said the first victim then drew his own firearm and shot Ortega as the struggle continued. Four men eventually pulled the two apart, including one who pulled Ortega by the hair, and Ortega ran out of the bar. The original victim fired four more shots at the fleeing Ortega.
Chicago police later recovered two firearms from a trash can on the bar’s back patio. Surveillance footage showed a woman carrying the weapons to the trash can, the complaint said.
About four hours after the shooting, Ortega called 911 to report that he had been shot. Officers went to his home, where Ortega claimed he had been walking on 71st Street when someone shot him in the inner thigh, but he did not know where the gunfire came from.
Police noted that Ortega’s head was freshly shaved, in a poorly executed and uneven manner, with loose curls of hair still covering his face. As CWBChicago reported in September, witnesses described the original shooter as a Hispanic man with very long hair in a ponytail. Investigators eventually linked Ortega to the bar shooting, according to court records.
Judge Shauna Boliker granted the state’s detention request.
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