Video shows confrontation involving child flower vendor outside River North bar
Video shows confrontation involving child flower vendor outside River North bar
A River North business owner is speaking out after surveillance video captured a confrontation involving a minor street vendor outside Moe’s Cantina.
CHICAGO - A River North business owner is speaking out after surveillance video captured a confrontation involving a minor street vendor outside Moe’s Cantina.
Video captures confrontation outside Moe's Cantina
The backstory:
The incident happened about two weeks ago outside the bar. According to the owner, the video shows an adult confronting a child who was selling flowers alongside another minor vendor.
The owner said the woman appeared to believe someone had reached into the child’s pocket to steal something, leading to a physical confrontation. Surveillance video shared by the business captured the encounter.
Police were not called at the time because the owner said he did not notice the altercation until reviewing surveillance footage two days later.
After discovering what happened, the owner said he spoke with the woman involved and learned the child was not related to her.
The owner said child vendors have regularly sold outside the business on weekends between about 2:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. for the past two years. He said he has repeatedly raised concerns with city officials and the local alderperson about children being out that late in an area with heavy nightlife.
What's next:
In response to the incident, the owner said he plans to hire a female private security guard to help monitor the area.
He said he’s sharing the video to raise awareness, adding that no child should be working on the streets late at night around intoxicated crowds.
Chicago police were not called to investigate the incident at the time it occurred.
The Source: The information in this article was reported by FOX Chicago's Leslie Moreno.