“Orlando will come to Chicago”
A Chicago man who threatened a mass shooting in the city’s Boystown area, promising that “Orlando will come to Chicago,” will not be leaving jail anytime soon. That's because the judge refused to reduce his bail.
The person who made the threats is named Shane Sleeper. As originally reported by CWB Chicago, the 31-year old made several threats in February against two well-known Chicago bars: Roscoe’s Tavern and Sidetrack, respectively. That's when cops slapped the cuffs on him.
Allegedly, Mr. Sleeper made what has been described as a “shooting gesture” against one of Sidetrack’s managers.
Prosecutors had achieved comments from Mr. Sleeper's social media messages, email, and voicemail read aloud for court records.
Here is what one of them said – in what appears to be a reference to the Pulse Nightclub killings.
“I will bring harm and death”; “you will be shot”; “you're lucky I don't have a gun or people would be dead”; “Orlando will come to Chicago”; “If you don't kill yourself, I'm going to do it.”
He has been charged with a number of crimes, including:
- Misdemeanor electronic harassment
- Misdemeanor phone harassment
- Resisting arrest
- Misdemeanor assault
- Misdemeanor obstruction
This past Wednesday, he asked Cook County Circuit Court Judge Anthony Calabrese to reduce his bail. But the judge refused, instead opting to keep Sleeper’s bail set at 300,000.
Apparently, Sleeper did not like this decision. When Calabrese began offering rationale about why bail would not be reduced, Sleeper rudely interrupted him.
“Let's just get it over with, sentence me now,” he said. “I'm so sick of this, I'm tired of it.” After the outburst, Judge Calabrese advised Sleeper to leave the court for the day.
This is not the first time Mr. Sleeper has had trouble with the law. In 2015, he was arrested for assaulting his ex-boss at a popular gay bar in Atlanta.
Both Roscoe’s Tavern and Sidetrack Bar are located on Halsted Street in Chicago’s famous Boystown area.
