On Christmas Eve, former University of Illinois Chicago medical campus contractor Glenn Rhymes quietly admitted in court that he pulled a gun in a busy hospital lobby, and he walked away with four months of court supervision instead of jail time. The incident, caught on security cameras and police body-camera video, sent a jolt through UI Health’s Outpatient Care Center earlier this year and sparked a fresh round of questions about how tightly hospitals are securing their front doors.
According to ABC7 Chicago, Rhymes pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed firearm in a hospital and received a sentence of four months of court supervision. ABC7’s report includes surveillance and body-camera footage from the July 21 confrontation, along with audio of Rhymes acknowledging that he displayed the weapon.
Video Shows Gun In Crowded Outpatient Lobby
Security footage shows Rhymes pulling a handgun during an argument in the South Tower lobby of UI Health's Outpatient Care Center at 1801 W. Taylor St., as reported by the Chicago Sun‑Times. Campus officers monitored the situation, moved in and recovered a fully loaded pistol, and local outlets say police body-camera video captured the swift arrest.
Local reporting also noted that UIC at one point linked the lobby incident to a West Side double shooting the next day, though Chicago police did not immediately confirm that connection, according to CBS Chicago. No patients were injured during the lobby scare, but the episode rattled staff and visitors who suddenly found themselves steps away from an armed confrontation.
What The Plea Means Under Illinois Law
Rhymes entered a plea to a count for bringing a concealed firearm into a hospital and received court supervision rather than prison time, per local reporting. Under Illinois law, an order of supervision pauses further proceedings and can end without a conviction if the defendant follows all court-ordered conditions. Supervision periods are generally capped at two years, according to the Illinois General Assembly. That framework helps explain how a judge could land on a short term of supervision instead of a traditional custodial sentence.
Hospital Response And Contractor Status
In the aftermath, UIC tightened access to its medical facilities and brought in additional security officers. Aramark, the third‑party contractor that had employed Rhymes, confirmed he is no longer with the company, the Chicago Sun‑Times reported. Hospital officials reassured staff that patient safety remains their top priority, and UIC police asked anyone with information about the incident to contact them.
Investigation And Unanswered Questions
Coverage of the lobby confrontation and subsequent events left some unresolved threads. Some hospital messaging suggested a possible connection between the South Tower gun incident and a later West Side shooting, while Rhymes' attorney pushed back, saying his client was not involved and that police were not actively looking for him, according to CBS Chicago.
Chicago police continue to investigate both the shootings and the hospital encounter, and UIC police previously circulated a tipline for employees and the public. The Christmas Eve plea closes one chapter in a case that shook a major Near West Side medical campus, but it leaves lingering questions about how contractors are vetted, how weapons are kept off hospital grounds, and whether a short stretch of supervision will feel like enough accountability. UIC officials say enhanced security measures remain in place while any related inquiries move forward.
