LIVE: ABC7 Eyewitness News at 6:30 p.m.

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]6:30 starts [music] now. Right now at 6:30, a restaurant owner thought he was going to be shot during this recent armed robbery, and it was all caught on video. Also, the warning from world health experts about the rapid spread of a new Ebola strain in Africa. Local experts weigh in on how prepared the US is to handle this version if it reaches this country.

[00:00:22]>> Larry's tracking changes to our weather as we head toward Memorial Day weekend.

[00:00:26]Now, let's begin this half hour with a teenage girl suing a concert venue saying she was assaulted during a show.

[00:00:33]>> Our John Garcia laying out the allegations against an entertainment giant.

[00:00:39]The civil lawsuit claims that when a minor buys a ticket to a concert, the concert venue is responsible for protecting her. The lawsuit alleges that Live Nation, which owns the Credit Union 1 Amphitheater, failed to protect her from being sexually assaulted by an 18-year-old college student.

[00:00:58]The Credit Union 1 Amphitheater in Tinley Park holds about 28,000 fans for concerts, and they had a big crowd last July for the Wiz Khalifa Sean Paul concert.

[00:01:10]But the attorney for a 16-year-old girl says her young client was sexually assaulted by an 18-year-old college student in a restricted area of the venue that night. This has been incredibly tough on them. It's a life-changing event that her that that happened to her, and it's um something that can never be undone.

[00:01:29]And so, um this is something she'll live with for the rest of her life.

[00:01:32]>> Attorneys have filed this lawsuit on behalf of the girl and her parents claiming negligence on the part of Live Nation, which owns Credit Union 1 Amphitheater. Among the allegations that the amphitheater failed to provide adequate security to identify and protect against predatory behavior.

[00:01:49]That it failed to monitor or prohibit entry to the area where the alleged sexual assault took place, and that it failed to prevent alcohol from being served to a minor.

[00:02:00]According to the lawsuit, the mother of the friend who was with the 16-year-old girl at the show bought alcohol for the alleged victim.

[00:02:08]However, that mother is not named in the lawsuit. We're here to talk about what Live Nation didn't do, what they failed to do, and what they should have done. 18-year-old Roman Basso of Frankfort was indicted in February on charges of aggravated criminal sexual assault. He was a student at Arizona State University.

[00:02:28]According to their attorney, the victim and her family are withholding their identities to protect their privacy.

[00:02:34]Through their attorney, they say they're trying to protect other young concert-goers as the summer concert season ramps up. Their attorney claims Live Nation has a history of alleged security lapses, which have led to numerous incidents of violence at concerts. I would say to parents that they should know that when they are going when they are sending their children to a concert that that venue should be doing everything possible to keep their kids safe. Late this afternoon, Live Nation released a statement saying the safety and security of our guests is our top priority. We cooperated fully with law enforcement regarding this case. As this matter involves ongoing litigation, we do not have anything further to share at this time.

[00:03:18]The lawsuit filed by the alleged victim and her family asked for compensation for medical and psychological treatment for what they call severe emotional distress.

[00:03:29]All right, John Garcia with the latest on that. John, thank you. And a man is now facing murder charges tonight accused of killing his ex-husband's new husband. The shooting happened last Thursday morning on Chicago's North Side. Rob Hughes talked to the victim's brother today.

[00:03:45]How do we tell Mom? I said, she's going to be so broken-hearted.

[00:03:51]And I I said to him, I said she's going to die of a broken heart when you tell her Russell Cawsaretta recounting the phone calls with family when he learned his older brother Nick Cawsaretta had been shot and killed. It happened just before 7:20 a.m. last Thursday in the Edgewater neighborhood. The alleged shooter, Omar Hosamo, charged with killing his ex-husband's new husband, Nick. Nick had shared with me that he was uh harassing him and Cam and would send endless text messages, very uh harassing messages to Nick. In September of 2023, Nick obtained a protective order barring Hosamo from contacting him. Eventually, the order was terminated in April of 2024, though it's not clear why. Nick's brother wonders, even if the protective order had been extended, would it have been enough?

[00:04:41]What was Nick supposed to do?

[00:04:43]You know, Omar's coming at him with a gun. Is Nick supposed to hold up the protective order and that is his shield?

[00:04:51]Benna Crawford with Legal Aid Chicago admits the judicial process surrounding protective orders can be grueling. I think it can be a really demoralizing process to have to fight so hard to keep yourself safe when you're presented with such a serious safety threat and Still, she says this case is a good reminder that pursuing protective orders to the fullest extent helps judges revoke FOID cards and law enforcement to confiscate guns when the victim's safety is at risk. Getting firearms out of the hands of people who engage in this type of behavior can be the difference between whether somebody lives or dies. Russell says it's hard to think of his older brother becoming a statistic, hoping Illinois lawmakers will take notice of this case. And in the meantime, he'll hold on to the memories. He had this kick belly laugh that no matter where you were in the house, wherever you were, um you you could hear his laugh.

[00:05:51]>> Rob Hughes, ABC 7 Eyewitness News.

[00:05:54]A Melrose Park restaurant owner says he thought he was going to be shot during this armed robbery last week. The hold up was caught on surveillance video. You see the man pointing a gun at the owner, then demanding all his jewelry. Uh this robbery happened last Tuesday at a Ripa Express in Melrose Park. The owner asked us not to show his face or use his last name. He tells us the man ate lunch at the restaurant and paid with a credit card before returning to rob the business. Melrose Park police tell us they identified a suspect and are searching for him. And newly released surveillance video shows thieves, look at this, crashing their way into a South Side Chicago gas station. We're told employees were inside the store at 43rd in State just before 5:00 this morning when thieves used that SUV to ram through the business's front doors.

[00:06:40]Police say they stole an ATM, and took off in another vehicle, left that SUV behind. The clerk says no one inside the gas station was hurt. Police have not made any arrests here. And we are learning new details tonight about the deadly mosque attack in Southern California. Members of the Islamic Center of San Diego are recounting stories of the gunfire, while investigators release more information about the two suspected shooters.

[00:07:05]Today search warrants being executed at the homes of the two teenagers who police say opened fire at the Islamic Center of San Diego yesterday as police try to understand why the 17 and 18-year-old carried out the attack.

[00:07:19]Sources identify the two as Ken Clark and Caleb Vaskez. We have confirmed three victims outside the building as well as two uh reportedly two shooters. Police say the gunfire killed three adults now identified as a manager of the mosque store for 40 years and a community member who moved people away from the gunfire.

[00:07:42]>> They sacrificed their lives to protect the entire community inside the Islamic Center of San Diego. And security guard Amine Abdulla. He began to engage them with gunfire. Both suspects returned fire.

[00:07:56]His actions without a doubt delayed distracted and ultimately deterred these two individuals from gaining access to the greater areas of the mosque. Inside the Islamic Center, children as young as kindergarteners hid in closets as the gunfire was heard. Later, the children seen here brought out hand-in-hand by police. Investigators say the teens then drove down the street and fired at a landscaper who was hit but will survive.

[00:08:32]Police say the two suspects died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds. In their car, sources say were anti-Islamic writings. The Islamic community of San Diego is in shock. My community is mourning.

[00:08:46]My community is keeping our three heroes in their prayers.

[00:08:53]Tonight, there is still an active crime scene at the mosque. The police have the front entrance there closed off and the inside is just as it was yesterday when the shooting happened. The head of the World Health Organization warning about the scale and speed of a growing Ebola outbreak in Eastern Congo. There are at least 134 suspected deaths with more than 500 cases tied to the rare strain. The virus spread undetected for weeks after early tests for more common Ebola strains came back negative. There are no approved vaccines or treatments for this strain, but experimental doses are expected from the US and Britain. Here's Sara Sholty with the concerns from local doctors.

[00:09:35]The World Health Organization is warning world about a growing Ebola outbreak. It is a disease without a vaccine, but local infectious disease experts are confident the United States has the infrastructure in place to control it from coming into the United States. Rush University Medical Center and Lurie Children's Hospital have been designated as elite special pathogen treatment centers for potential Ebola cases in Illinois. So far the outbreak that has killed dozens of people has not reached US soil. I think one of the the main reasons this is a outbreak of international concern is because it has crossed borders. Uh it has reached large urban centers. The Ebola outbreak is spreading quickly in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. It is a severe and often fatal disease that spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person.

[00:10:28]While an American doctor working in Central Africa is being treated for Ebola, UIC chief of infectious diseases Dr. Stockton Mayor says the likelihood of spread to the United States is low.

[00:10:40]We've been fairly effective at at funneling people that may be at risk for having the disease or it may have been potentially exposed or from high-risk areas into certain airports, certain regions. The Centers for Disease Control is urging doctors to screen for any potential Ebola infections in travelers from the outbreak countries. And non-US passport holders coming from the areas face entry restrictions. Years ago the US was able to successfully contain Ebola. COVID was different because it's a respiratory virus that spreads more easily. But Dr. Mayor says the experience gained from the pandemic put the scientific community in a better place to deal with future outbreaks. I think for this particular outbreak in Uganda, if we do see a case, I think we'll be very well prepared. Meanwhile, the Illinois Department of Public Health will continue to have discussions with the CDC about screenings at ports of departure from affected countries into the US. Sarah Schulte, ABC 7 Eyewitness News. Sarah, thank you. A judge is now halting the demolition work at a LaGrange Mall. A developer had purchased the Jackson Square Mall in downtown LaGrange with plans to tear it down to build a condo building. Opponents rallied to stop the project, filing a lawsuit to stop it from moving forward.

[00:11:56]The next hearing on this issue is now set for June 2nd. And a neighborhood revitalization effort hitting a milestone and it's helping to build a better Chicago. There was a celebration in Garfield Park where the most recent Cook County Land Bank redevelopment includes new two-flats in North Lawndale. It is the latest development in an effort to transform a once vacant block into a thriving neighborhood. The Cook County Land Bank was created back in 2013, redeveloping more than 2,500 properties since then.

[00:12:32]Okay, and now it is your chance to help name the first known pair of bald eagles born in the Chicago city limits in more than 100 years.

[00:12:41]>> a century. Yeah. Uh the Chicago Park District holding a contest to name the eaglets. As Leah Hope reports, it's now down to three finalists.

[00:12:49]In a secluded area of Chicago, a baby eagle is likely making history and affirming the conservation efforts of Park District staff.

[00:13:00]High in the cottonwood trees on the southeast side of Chicago, a couple of eagles built a nest for their eaglets.

[00:13:06]Today, we caught one eaglet watching the world from its nest and perhaps us. They are believed to be about a month old now. Chicagoans offered 3,000 suggestions in an eaglet naming contest.

[00:13:19]Once we got the photo evidence, I knew that it was it was really big. It was exciting and that that Chicagoans were going to get excited about it. Two baby eagles were first spotted by birders in April, and they are believed to be the first eagles hatched in the city of Chicago in 100 years. I think it signifies that the city is recovering in this area specifically on the southeast side from an industrial past.

[00:13:44]We're reclaiming land, revitalizing land.

[00:13:47]>> The Chicago Park District took over operation of this area in 2019, planting native species and clearing out invasive species to welcome more birds that used to be a common part of this ecosystem.

[00:13:59]It has a benefit obviously on the wildlife, but also for the people.

[00:14:03]As research shows, people can find respite in nature. It's good for our mental health, it's good for our physical health. Today we also saw mute swans keeping close to their four signets, several stoic white egrets, and one of the eagles surveying the marsh likely for fish, all while staffers were planting more native plants. Today I was planting some buttonbush plugs. It's a common wetland shrub in the region. It's great for waterfowl, great for secretive marsh bird habitats. For now, the area around the eagle nest is restricted as experts don't want people to disturb the eagles.

[00:14:39]If that happens, the eagles could abandon the nest. Instead, park district officials are trying to protect the peaceful environment until the eaglets are ready to leave the nest. The Park District has 2,000 acres of nature areas in 35 locations across the city. You can be a part of restoring nature in their stewardship program. We have details for you on our website. On the southeast side of Chicago, Leah Hope, ABC 7 Eyewitness News.

[00:15:08]Great story, Leah. Thank you.

[00:15:09]>> And pretty incredible that it's been that long.

[00:15:11]>> Yes, and we got a look today at that nest and the eaglets.

[00:15:14]>> Maintaining our distance for sure.

[00:15:16][laughter] It's time for your weather forecast.

[00:15:18]Let's take a look at live look outside, see what we got going on out there. No?

[00:15:22]And temperature-wise, today was a nice day for Leah to be out there doing that story, you know, about the eagle chicks.

[00:15:27]Nice and warm this afternoon. Now, it's turning chilly out there, and it's going to be a cool night as temperatures drop into the 40s and 50s overnight tonight.

[00:15:34]There were a few sprinkles, little light rain out and across the area earlier this afternoon. That's pretty much dried up, although I can't rule out a few sprinkles still this evening, but the severe weather has marched off towards the east around upper Sandusky here on Lake Erie all the way down to Cincinnati. That's where we got a cluster of storms sliding off towards the east. Cloudy skies for much of the area, a few breaks in those clouds, but the clouds are thicker back to the west.

[00:15:57]So, we'll stay mostly cloudy as we go through the evening hours. Look at the push of cooler air. 40s back in Minnesota. Rochester's at 49. 61 right now in Madison, Wisconsin. We've dropped into the 60s across the western half of the area. Still mid to low 70s over in northwest Indiana, but overnight tonight, a few sprinkles still possible this evening, but as we go through the overnight hours, temperatures will drop into the 40s and 50s, and then we'll see very cool weather tomorrow with highs only in the low 50s at the lakefront, upper 50s, low 60s for inland areas tomorrow. So, about 15 to 20° colder tomorrow than today. Cool weather sticks around for a couple days. We'll look more into that coming up. All right, Larry, thank you. And still ahead here tonight, the growing opposition [music] to the Trump administration's plans for a fund to compensate [music] the president's allies. Update President Trump about the ballroom construction at the White House.

[00:16:50]And what Chicago-based United Airlines is saying about the upcoming summer travel season. We'll be right back.

[00:18:28]>> The Department of Justice is now expanding its sweeping settlement to end President Trump's lawsuit against the IRS. It would bar the government from conducting audits of the tax returns from Trump, his family, and their companies filed in the past.

[00:18:41]>> As ABC's Olivia Rubin reports tonight, the expansion comes as acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche is facing questions from lawmakers who say the fund will be paying the president's allies. Today sparks flying on Capitol Hill. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche pressed on an unprecedented new nearly $1.8 billion fund using taxpayer dollars that could benefit Trump allies.

[00:19:07]>> Mr. Attorney General, this is an outrageous, unprecedented slush fund that you set up. The unusual deal negotiated between President Trump and his own government. The president dropping his lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns years ago. In exchange, the Department of Justice creating the so-called anti-weaponization fund to benefit those they claim were wronged by previous administrations. But Blanche defending the arrangement.

[00:19:37]>> It is true that this is unusual. That is true. Um but it is not unprecedented and it was done to address something that um had never happened again, either. Among those who could benefit, those involved in the January 6th riot at the Capitol.

[00:19:52]Blanche not ruling out convicted violent offenders or militia members, adamant anyone can apply. Whether and whether an individual and Oath Keeper, as you just mentioned, applies for compensation, um is anybody in this country can apply.

[00:20:07]Blanche, who was previously the president's personal defense attorney, will appoint the five commissioners who dole out the money. Democrat Chris Van Hollen raising questions about a conflict of interest. Mr. Attorney General, you are acting today like the president's personal attorney, and that's the whole problem. And at the White House, Vice President J.D. Vance also pressed today about the possible payouts, adamant it's for everyone, Democrat or Republican. I mean, if Hunter Biden wants to apply for this particular fund, he is welcome to. Now, of course, applying and actually receiving the money are two separate issues, but one unexpected name already jumping in, former FBI Director James Comey, indicted twice in recent months, now saying, quote, "I'm guessing I'll be in line." Olivia Rubin, ABC News, Washington.

[00:20:56]President Trump made a surprise visit to the White House ballroom construction site today. The president had renderings of the building on easels as he explained the various components, including what he calls a a drone-free roof. Not only is it drone-proof. If a drone hits it, it bounces off. It won't have any impact. But, uh it's also meant as a drone port. So, it protects all of Washington, the roof of the building.

[00:21:23]President Trump said donors and his own money will pay for the ballroom.

[00:21:26]However, Republicans in Congress are grappling with a $1 billion funding request to cover all the security elements. Despite gas prices and the high cost of travel, United is expecting a big summer. The Chicago-based airline says it is expecting to fly 53 million people between Memorial Day and Labor Day. That is 3 million more than last year. Many are traveling to summer's can't-miss moments like the total solar eclipse in Europe in August, World Cup soccer games here in the US and North America, and even big concerts like Harry Styles' European tour. Well, coming up tonight >> the growing push to make the [music] Italian beef the official state sandwich of Illinois. Okay, and Larry is coming back [music] with some much cooler air in the ABC 7 AccuWeather forecast.

[00:23:48]>> All right, welcome back. The push to make Italian beef the official state sandwich of Illinois is gaining momentum. State Representative Rick Ryan is spearheading the measure which passed out of the house and awaits a vote in the Senate. Uh, tomorrow Representative Ryan plans to head to Springfield to rally for the beef. Uh, the Bear actor Corey Hendricks expected to join him in the state capital. So, we could have an official state sandwich before the Bears stadium deal is done.

[00:24:14]>> Oh, yeah, true. Yes, good point.

[00:24:16]>> Wow. Either way, I'm just really hungry right now for one of those sandwiches.

[00:24:20]>> [laughter] >> right, it's the dinner hour and I know you've done the full hour, so we'll get you fed in just a little bit. So, that seems like pretty much a done deal, Larry. I think the lawmakers are going to improve approve the Italian beef sandwich.

[00:24:31]>> And the horseshoe is the unofficial one.

[00:24:33]We were researching this in the newsroom. Oh, it Oh, it was only a unofficial sandwich before.

[00:24:37]>> Open-face sandwich, Larry, with some fries or potatoes on top and some gravy.

[00:24:42]That looks pretty darn good, too. Now you're just really making me hungry.

[00:24:44]Come on, Rob.

[00:24:46]Sandwiches for everybody. I didn't know there was an unofficial one already.

[00:24:50]Yeah. Yeah, nobody really had heard of it.

[00:24:53]>> [laughter] >> Central Illinois and Southern Illinois.

[00:24:55]I actually remember University of Illinois. I think Mary Ann's Diner used to serve it. But we were in there at like 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning as most people know who went down there just to have a big plate of food. It was good.

[00:25:06]You guys ever went? Nope. Oh, it's so great.

[00:25:09]>> [laughter] >> So good right now, though.

[00:25:11]Uh let's talk a little weather cuz we had some sprinkles and a little bit of drizzle out there earlier today. Could still see a few sprinkles with the clouds that are with us, but the big storms are off to the east across parts of Ohio stretching down into southern Indiana.

[00:25:24]That's where you've got severe thunderstorm watches in place. See the cloud cover with us and a couple of raindrops falling from some of those clouds. Temperatures are falling. We're dropping into the 50s and 60s just to our north and west. And many areas west of the city have already dropped into the 60s. 63 already in DeKalb and down to 62 in Rochelle. That's the cooler air that spills in overnight tonight. We'll see temperatures drop into the 40s and 50s overnight tonight. But this evening, a couple showers still possible for us, mainly some sprinkles. As we go towards daybreak tomorrow, temperatures will be in the 40s across the northern half of the area to low 50s to the south, right around 50° here in the city at 8:00 in the morning. And not much warm up tomorrow afternoon. With the wind off the lake, we'll stay right there in the low 50s even through 3:00 in the afternoon. Inland areas, mid to upper 50s, some low 60s. We'll do it again tomorrow night.

[00:26:16]In fact, tomorrow night it'll be colder than tonight. We'll drop into the 40s pretty much area-wide early Thursday morning. And then during the day on Thursday, a mix of sun and clouds. Low 60s inland, 50s again at the lakefront Thursday afternoon. Then as we head into Friday morning, temperatures still on the cool side dropping into the low 50s by daybreak Friday morning. So for the next 3 days, plan on some cool weather after being mild the past several days.

[00:26:39]60 tomorrow, 62 on Thursday, but 50s by the lakefront. Showers come in late Friday into Friday night. Temperatures on Friday in the mid-60s. Some of those showers may linger into Saturday morning. Our high today, 79. That happened around noon time. 66 the low so far. 72 and 52 the average high and average low as we look at our Almanac data for today. But, there's the front moving away from us and the cooler air spilling in behind it. 60 tomorrow, again cooler by the lakefront.

[00:27:08]Kind of a mix of sun and clouds on Thursday with highs in the 60s, but again cooler at the lakefront. Here's that rain chance on Friday. Best rain chance comes in late in the afternoon and evening. Some scattered showers, maybe some rumbles of thunder. This area of low pressure will be nearby on Saturday. I don't think we'll see much rain on Saturday, but I'll keep a small chance of a couple of showers, maybe a thunderstorm in the forecast on Saturday. And kind of the same story on Sunday. The low may just be close enough to trigger an isolated shower or thunderstorm on Sunday. The future cast really tends to overdo it this far out.

[00:27:40]So, this will be more isolated than what future cast is showing. Nonetheless though, it does look like much of the weekend will be dry and warming back into the 70s. Tonight, it's 40s to the north, low 50s to the south, breezy and kind of chilly. Tomorrow, we're at 60, 62 on Thursday, 64 on Friday. Then it's 70s from Saturday through next Tuesday.

[00:28:00]Monday, Memorial Day looks to be the warmest with a high back up around 80°.

[00:28:04]And again, mainly dry this weekend. I can't rule out a stray shower Saturday, Sunday, or on Monday, but the coverage looks to be pretty low and certainly not an all-day rain. So, overall pretty decent weather for the holiday weekend.

[00:28:16]As we look towards the weekend, 70s return. Looks like it, Larry. Thank you.

[00:28:20]I still cannot believe Memorial Day weekend is I mean, oh my gosh. Okay. [laughter] Uh coming up tonight, see what's driving Michael Jackson's hit Billie Jean back to the top of the charts.

[00:30:03]>> Michael Jackson's Billie Jean is back at number one more than four decades after the song was released. The classic hit tops Billboard's Global 200 chart this week. The new Michael Jackson biopic is fueling the interest. Billie Jean was originally released on Jackson's Thriller album in late 1982. It's dominated the US Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks. More than four decades after that song was out.

[00:30:27]>> That's so wow. That that was such a great album. So many hits came out of there. Uh you said your girls just saw it.

[00:30:33]>> went to see the movie and loved it. I said, "Do you you do know who Michael Jackson is, right?" Yeah, they're like, "Yeah, it is." Yeah, it's hard to ignore. A lot of people are just enjoying the ride of that movie. Yeah, it's great. It's supposed to be a lot of fun. We're back at 10. We appreciate you [music] joining us here at 6:30.