A 43-year-old man is in custody after allegedly beating a West Chicago man with such savagery that the victim required hospitalization.
DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and West Chicago Chief of Police Colin Fleury announced Tuesday that Judge Joshua Dieden has granted the State’s petition to detain pre-trial the suspect, who has been charged with one count of Aggravated Battery in a Public Place and Aggravated Battery – Great Bodily Harm. Both charges are Class 3 Felonies.
According to police, at approximately 8:40pm Sunday evening officers responded to a call of a disturbance on a footpath near the bridge underneath Wilson Avenue near the Metra train depot. Officers allegedly observed a man, later identified as the suspect, with blood on his hands and clothing, walking away from the underpass of the bridge on the footpath.
Officers also observed a male without a shirt on who appeared to be unconscious laying in the rocks in the underpass of the bridge by the footpath. The man was severely beaten with blood on his face, his eyes shut and his back covered in scratch marks. He was immediately transported to a local hospital for medical attention where it was determined he suffered a broken rib, two fractured vertebrae and bleeding and fluid collection about his eyes (black eyes).
Prosecutors allege that the suspect and the victim encountered each other on the path and that the suspect began to beat the man about his body and face. It is alleged that during the beating, the suspect yelled “get up, get up” to the victim as he kicked him while lying face down on the ground, and at one point the victim got to his knees, at which time the suspect struck him in the face, causing him to fall down.
“Public safety is the cornerstone of my administration, and my office remains steadfast in our commitment to holding violent offenders accountable for their actions,” Berlin said. “Today’s charges against [the suspect] are very serious and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. While the injuries sustained by the victim in this case are quite severe, it is my sincerest hope that he will make a full and speedy recovery.”
