Cars Hit By Paintballs On Southwest Highway: Police

HOMETOWN, IL — Two vehicles were hit by paintballs in separate incidents on Oct. 1, Hometown police said. The paintball shootings are part of an alarming trend that has been happening throughout the Chicago area and the country.

The vehicle was described as a dark-colored sedan occupied by several teens. In one of the incidents, the occupants of the vehicle suffered minor injuries when struck by the paintballs.

Anyone who saw the paintballers and can identify the vehicle and provide a license plate number is asked to call the Hometown Police Department at 708-422-2189 or call 911.

Chicago Ald. Matt O’Shea (19th) confirmed that similar paintball shootings have occurred in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood. O’Shea said it’s a problem that has been reported all over the city, including the South Loop, Near North Side Chicago’s Roseland neighborhood and the suburbs.

“It’s my understanding that it’s a game,” the alderman said. “Carloads of teen film themselves shooting paintballs and post it on social media.”

Two teens riding their bikes in Oak Park on Sept 25 were pelted with paintballs when a car drove up next to them and started shooting, CBS-2 Chicago reported.

A young man waiting at a bus stop in the 6900 block of South Halsted Street was hit by paintball on Oct. 1, according to Chicago police.

On Sept. 10, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that two men were hit by paintballs in the 700 block of South Michigan Avenue in the South Loop. A 29-year-old was shot in his eye and taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in fair condition, police said. The second man was struck in the chest but not injured.

Paintball shootings have happened in Los Angeles, Modesto, Calif., and Anchorage, Alaska, according to news reports.