U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Crime happens everywhere in the Chicago area. It was the start of the Thursday evening rush hour when an ordinary citizen saw a violent crime unfold in front of him. Of course, we have the right to self-defense. We also have the right to defend other innocent parties who face an immediate, unavoidable, and lethal threat. I’m sure they mentioned that during your concealed carry class. Having heard that information in a class is one thing. Acting on it within seconds when you see a police officer shot in front of you is another thing entirely. This story takes more turns than rush hour traffic in Cicero and Chicago. This is how an armed defender saved lives back in September of 2018.
Cicero Police saw a black Mercedes sedan driving erratically. Instead of pulling over when he saw the flashing lights, the driver stepped on the gas and tried to speed away. He pulled onto the on-ramp to enter the Stevenson Expressway. That isn’t a fast lane to anywhere during rush hour. The officers were able to bring the suspect’s car to a stop. The suspect and officers got out of their cars. That is when the suspect drew his firearm.
The suspect, Daniel Mageo, shot at the officers several times. He hit Cicero police officer Luis Duarte twice in the arm, once in the leg and once in the abdomen. One of the shots also hit the officer’s taser. We don’t know where the attacker’s other shots ended up. We don’t know which vehicles in the traffic jam acted as a bullet stop.
Our defender was in one of those cars stopped at a red light in rush hour traffic. He saw the attacker shoot at the officers. He saw the officer get hit and fall. The defender took action rather than sit and watch the attacker shoot the downed officer. The defender got out of his car. He presented his firearm. He shot at the attacker three times. Now the attacker ran. The wounded officer’s partner also shot at the attacker.
The attacker was wounded and stopped shooting. It would take weeks until we learned whose shots hit the attacker.
This is where the story takes another interesting turn. The armed defender holstered his firearm and gave aid to the wounded police officer. He tried to stop the bleeding with a towel from his car.
Can you imagine if you were the wounded officer’s partner in this situation? You’ve called for help. You now have a wounded partner on the ground and a wounded and armed suspect a few yards away. You can drag your partner to a new position so he isn’t as exposed to gunfire, but there probably isn’t complete cover that would prevent you and your partner from being shot. In those circumstances, another pair of hands to help stop your partner’s bleeding would be an answered prayer.
In time, other officers arrived. The 27-year-old suspect was arrested. Emergency Medical Services treated the wounded officer and the attacker. Mageo, the attacker, was wounded in the ankle and leg.
I’m sure the 42-year-old concealed carry holder had to show his personal identification, his Illinois Firearms Owners Identification card, and his Illinois concealed carry permit. He had to give a statement explaining what he saw and what he did.
The armed defender said he had been a gun owner for 16 years, but this was the first time he had to use his gun.
Cicero police Superintendent Jerry Chlada Junior said, “We were lucky enough to have a citizen on the street there who is a concealed carry holder, and he engaged in gunfire with the suspect.” The wounded officer had been on the police force for four years. “The kid almost died,” Superintendent Chlada said.
Cicero Town President Larry Dominick added, “I want to applaud the citizen, a civilian, who risked his life to help in apprehending this armed suspect. He got out and started helping the police, which is something I’ve got to be proud of.”
The officer recovered but was walking with the aid of a walker a week after the attack. It would be another few weeks when the police made public that the attacker was stopped by shots from the second officer’s gun.
The attacker was released from the hospital. He has prior arrests for drugs, resisting arrest, and was convicted of trafficking underage girls. He has numerous facial tattoos near his eyes and cheeks. He had outstanding warrants for his arrest from California. He was wanted in California for cutting off his ankle monitor and skipping parole.
In Cook County, the attacker faced two counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of aggravated battery with a firearm. That ignores the charges for having an illegal firearm and ammunition in Cook County, Illinois.
This story is one of many that go under-reported by the mainstream media because it shows a positive image of a law-abiding gun owner defending their life and their family. It is our responsibility at AmmoLand to report these stories to you. While we will continue to report these stories, groups like the Crime Prevention Research Center, led by Dr. John Lott, are fastidious in studying the use of firearms for self-defense. Stay up to date with all news on self-defense by following CPRC and Ammoland.
Original News Sources:
- Cicero officer shot on Southwest Side to be released from hospital
- Concealed carry licensee called hero for intervening when man fires on police, but ‘it could have gone the other way’
- Mother of man accused of shooting Cicero cop says son might have been suicidal
- UPDATE: Charges Filed Against Man Who Shot Cicero Cop
- California man charged with shooting Cicero police officer near Stevenson Expy.
- GUN OWNER WHO HELPED COPS IN SHOOTOUT PRAISED (VIDEOS)
About Rob Morse
Rob Morse writes about gun rights at Ammoland, at Clash Daily, at Second Call Defense, and on his SlowFacts blog. He hosts the Self Defense Gun Stories Podcast and co-hosts the Polite Society Podcast. Rob was an NRA pistol instructor and combat handgun competitor.