CPD SWAT Swarms State Street in Response to Men Yelling 'ISIS' Threats

Four bearded men in red scarves got out of a white van on State Street in Chicago and shouted at passersby and motorists “we are ISIS and we will kill you,” then sped off around 12:30 a.m. Thursday.

Chicago Police officers, including heavily armed SWAT team members, pursued the van but lost the vehicle near State Street and Chicago Avenue, reports WGN News and CBS Chicago.

Chicago Police News Affairs would not confirm the exact nature of the threats to WGN and said investigators believe the threats were “not credible.”

The van had temporary license plates, blue trim and tinted windows.

“Officers should exercise extreme caution,” reads a police memo distributed Thursday, if the vehicle is found.

The unsettling incident likely was a hoax, according to police, but Gold Coast residents told WGN whoever is responsible should still be prosecuted.

Also on Patch

• Chicago is ‘Obama Town’ and a Terror Target
• Accused ISIS Massacre Plotters to Plead Guilty in Foiled Plan to Attack Joliet Armory
• Afraid of What Syrian Refugees Might Do? Chicago Isn’t