Concealed carrier shoots 2, foiling possible attempted car theft in Chicago — the second time in less than a week that a Windy City gun owner gets the upper hand

A concealed carrier in Chicago shot two early Saturday morning, foiling a possible attempted car theft in the heart of city's downtown Loop, WLS-TV reported, citing police.

In fact, it was the second time in less than a week that a Windy City gun owner got the upper hand.

What are the details?

Police told the station a 31-year-old man was walking toward his parked vehicle on West Randolph Street just after 3:30 a.m. when a red SUV passed him and someone fired shots in his direction.

But the victim — a concealed carry license holder — pulled his own gun and fired several rounds, police told WLS, after which the SUV driver fled the scene.

The victim also saw someone exit his parked vehicle and run off, the station said, adding that the victim wasn't injured.

Investigators told WLS that minutes after the shooting, the same red SUV pulled up to the emergency room at Northwestern Memorial Hospital with a man in his 20s seeking treatment for a gunshot wound to his left knee.

About the same time, another man in his 20s walked into Lurie Children's Hospital with a gunshot wound to the lower back, the station said.

Both suspects were soon taken into custody, WLS said, adding that police said they're seeking a third offender whose age is unknown.

Kyle Jorgensen told the station he heard the gunfire — about eight or nine shots: "Fell asleep with the window open and I woke up to gunshots, and my dog's looking out the window, freaking out."

Denise Arnold lamented to WLS that "all the smash-and-grabs that happened in broad daylight, so you can be a victim any time of the day."

Laurel Protexter has lived in neighborhood almost three years and told the station things have gotten progressively worse: "When we first moved, there was nothing like for almost a month, then it got on and off. It got really bad. You never know what's going to happen. It's very unfortunate."

The other concealed carry shooting

Early in the morning of Dec. 5, a 56-year-old Chicago man carrying a concealed gun fought back against a trio of armed teenage carjackers and turned the tables on them, shooting and seriously wounding two of the suspects, while the third broke a leg in a car crash.

That makes it twice in less than a week that a concealed carrier got the upper hand in dicey situations.

Anything else?

Chicago concealed carriers have been tallying numerous successes protecting themselves and others from the worst possible scenarios. Here's a sampling just from this year:

• A 17-year-old carjacker died earlier this month after a woman carrying concealed shot him in the head during an attempted heist on the south side the day before Thanksgiving.
• In September, gunmen opened fire at partygoers outside a Chicago home and shot a 13-year-old boy in the head, but the victim's 21-year-old cousin — a concealed carry license holder — pulled out his gun and shot back, after which the gunmen fled.
• Also in September, a concealed carry license holder shot an armed 13-year-old boy in Chicago as the boy allegedly was breaking into the concealed carrier's car.
• In July, a woman with a concealed carry license shot at a group of males who pointed a gun at her as they attempted to steal her car in Chicago — and a 13-year-old male who was with the would-be thieves was shot.
• In February, a knife-wielding man in a Chicago alley approached a concealed carrier, who shot the man with the knife once in the leg. Police eventually used a Taser on the suspect and arrested him.