Gunfire rings out near El Barco Mariscos restaurant in West Town, panic ensues

CHICAGO (CBS) — People dove to the floor when shots were reportedly fired Friday evening outside a popular restaurant on Ashland Avenue in West Town.

Someone reportedly opened fire outside El Barco Mariscos, at 1035 N. Ashland Ave. at Cortez Street.

It was not immediately confirmed whether anyone was struck.

A worker from El Barco described a packed house that even had children inside. A woman screamed that a man was about to shoot, and everyone got down, the worker told CBS 2’s Jermont Terry.

Windows at the restaurant were broken and food was left behind at the tables.

Witnesses at a restaurant across the street told CBS 2’s Terry they heard six to 10 shots. They said everyone dropped to the floor and stayed there for one to two minutes.

Zach Blumenfeld was among those who hit the floor while dining at the restaurant across the street.

“It’s scary this could happen right across the street from where I’m trying to have a Friday night dinner,” he said.

Blumenfeld described a chilling scene.

“They’d just turned on the birthday song in the restaurant. There was a kid probably 5, 6 years old who just got his birthday sundae,” he said. “So yeah, as that song was playing, there was gunshots happening and we were on the ground.”

There was a massive police presence at the scene as of 8:30 p.m.