What Happened in Chicago Last Night? How Looting and Rioting Broke Out

Widespread rioting and looting erupted on the streets of Chicago after people clashed with police over an officer-involved shooting the previous day.

Hundreds of people were seen ransacking businesses during a period of unrest which lasted several hours across the city from late Sunday into Monday morning.

Dozens of stores were looted along the "Magnificent Mile" shopping district, as well as other areas of Chicago.

Footage appearing on social media showed officers pelted with objects and people breaking into banks by smashing windows with baseball bats.

The violence saw the parts of the city essentially shut down, with the Chicago Transit Authority suspending all train and bus services to the downtown area at the request of public safety officials.

Several bridges have been raised to block entry into the downtown parts of the city, with Loyola University Chicago confirming it closed its Water Tower Campus to all students, faculty, and staff in the wake of the violence.