Charges Dropped Against Man Accused of Shooting At Police Camera in Albany Park
Cook County prosecutors dropped charges against Isaac Mendez last month, bond money refunded
Do you remember a video posted on our Twitter account of a man shooting at a police camera in Albany Park from just over a year ago? If not, here is a refresher for you:
In this case, then-18 year old Isaac Mendez was identified and charged by police with reckless discharge of a firearm, driving on a suspended license and requiring a bumper on a vehicle. Prosecutors later charged Mendez with four felony unlawful use of weapon (gun) charges and one count of reckless discharge of a firearm.
The incident, later detailed by CWB Chicago, was captured on a Chicago Police “POD” camera located at Drake and Ainslie on March 13, 2022 just after 6 AM. The incident was caught on two separate angles. The video shows a blue 2 door vehicle stop at the intersection of Drake and Ainslie and a man wearing a surgical mask subsequently get out with a phone in hand and apparently recording himself. The man then pulls a gun from his waistband and fires shots the Police Observation Device.
Chicago Police quickly identified the vehicle and were able to locate it. Police spoke with the driver during a traffic stop and identified Mendez as the shooter. Police also found a 9 millimeter shell casing in the passenger side door, the same caliber and similar in style to the shell casings located near the police camera after the now-viral incident.
Police caught up with Mendez on May 29, 2022 on the 1700 block of N Kilpatrick in the 25th District during a traffic stop where he was taken into custody. As we mentioned, Cook County prosecutors later charged Mendez with four felony unlawful use of weapon (gun) charges and one count of reckless discharge of a firearm. Court records now show that all charges were quietly “nolle prosequi,” which is just a fancy way of saying charges were dropped and the case dismissed, by prosecutors on April 19, 2023.
It’s unclear what prompted the dismissal of charges. Police records show Mendez has not been arrested by Chicago Police since the May 2022 arrest.