On February 14, 1929, the city of Chicago witnessed one of the most infamous crimes in American history. Known as the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, this event was the violent peak of a long war between two rival crime bosses, Al “Scarface” Capone and George “Bugs” Moran.
Al Capone controlled the South Side of the city, while Bugs Moran led the North Side Gang. The two groups fought over territory and the profits from bootlegging and gambling. By 1929, the tension between Capone and Moran had reached a breaking point, leading Capone to plan a permanent solution to end this.
It was a Thursday morning, when seven of Moran’s associates gathered at a garage located at 2122 North Clark Street. They were reportedly waiting for a shipment of hijacked whiskey.
Suddenly, a Cadillac touring car, disguised to look like a police vehicle, pulled up outside. Four men stepped out, two in police uniforms. The men inside the garage believed the police got them, so the seven men lined up against the wall with their hands up.
Without warning, the fake police opened fire with Thompson submachine guns killing six men instantly. The seventh man, Frank Gusenberg, survived long enough to reach a hospital, and died within an hour at the Alexandrian Hospital.
The main target, Bugs Moran, was not among the dead. He had been late to the meeting and spotted the “police car” as he arrived, so he stayed away to avoid arrest. Later he knew that this was a trap arranged by Capone and his men.
While Capone was in Florida at the time of the shooting, most people believed he planned the attack. Although he was never officially charged for the massacre, the public outcry over the violence finally forced federal authorities to focus their efforts on him. Eventually, Capone was sent to jail in 1946. Moran died from lung cancer in 1957 while serving his sentence at Leavenworth Federal Prison.
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