Aggravated assaults hit 5-year high in Chicago during October

Chicago’s violent crime hit the second-highest level in the past five years. Aggravated assaults increased the most during the past 12 months to hit a five-year peak. Most of the victims were Black.

Chicagoans suffered 29,260 violent crimes in the 12 months through October, with cases of aggravated assault reaching their highest level in the past five years, police data shows.

Robberies were the most common at 33% of violent crimes. Next were aggravated batteries at 31% and aggravated assaults at 28%.

Aggravated assaults increased 6.4% – the most of any violent crime in Chicago between November 2023 and October 2024 – with Black victims in over half the cases.

According to the Chicago Police Department, aggravated assaults involve the use of deadly force but no contact between the individuals, such as an individual being shot at but not hit.

The city’s arrest rate for aggravated assaults rose to its second-highest level in the past five years. Still, just 1-in-6 cases resulted in an arrest.

During the past year, aggravated assaults have consistently peaked at 5 p.m. and reached their lowest levels at 6 a.m. Depending on what time the victim was assaulted, the chances of catching the offender could fall even farther.

There was a concentration of assaults in Mayor Brandon Johnson’s home neighborhood of Austin, which reported more aggravated assaults than any other neighborhood during the past year.

Overall, 4-in-5 aggravated assaults reported during the past 12 months occurred on the city’s West and South sides.

Black Chicagoans were 5.4 times more likely to be the victim of an aggravated assault compared to white Chicagoans. Hispanic Chicagoans were 3.6 times more likely to be targeted.

According to a Lincoln Poll in January, 2 of every 3 voters somewhat or strongly disapproved of Johnson’s handling of crime.

Regardless of whether Chicago can fix its crime problem with more cops or more social justice initiatives, it is clear Johnson should be addressing the problem – actively and aggressively.

Longer-term solutions cannot work unless today’s crimes are addressed and Chicagoans stop living in fear.