Battery Category Archives — Chicago Criminal Lawyer Blog Published by Chicago Criminal Defense Attorney

April 1, 2022

Trial of Man Accused of Stabbing Three, Killing Two Begins

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

A young woman was with three male friends when a fourth individual attempted to hit on her. The girl was not having it and eventually, the friends stepped in on her behalf. The man who was hitting on the girl was affronted by this and two of her friends wound up dead with a third suffering severe injuries in a knife attack. Now, the man is on trial facing two first-degree murders and a third attempted murder charge. The defendant is claiming self-defense. The prosecution has rejected an offer for a lesser charge.

Will self-defense work here?

It is hard to say. Both the prosecution and the defense are establishing their own timeline for events. Prosecutors will say that the defendant hit on a girl and that her friends warned the defendant off. The defendant then became irate and stabbed them after further disputes related to the unwanted attention emerged. The defendant claims that the friends organized an assault on him in which he was placed in a chokehold. This led to further altercations that eventually led to the stabbing.

March 23, 2022

Principal Cleared in Water Bottle Battery

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

This is a fairly weird case. A principal was playing “child-like games” in the cafeteria, when he lost control of a water bottle and struck a cafeteria worker. The water bottle allegedly caused “permanent disfigurement” according to the criminal charges filed against the principal. At first, it appeared that no criminal charges would be filed, but the principal alleges that a conspiracy between the cafeteria worker and a lead detective investigating the case resulted in him being way overcharged with two counts of aggravated battery resulting in permanent disfigurement. It is unclear how the cafeteria worker was disfigured by the water bottle or how a water bottle could disfigure someone unless it was thrown by Nolan Ryan. Other attempts to characterize the bottle called it “a hard water canteen.” The defendant allegedly suffered a concussion and an eye abrasion that required stitches.

The principal is now suing the school district, the cafeteria worker, and the detective who pursued charges against him. Below, we will take a look at why he might have a case.

Understanding Battery Charges

March 4, 2022

Officer Will Not Face Charges After Groin Punching Suspect

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

Two officers approach a suspect who opens fire on them. They return fire and strike the suspect. The suspect has now been shot. The police have him in cuffs and are searching him to determine where the gun is. The officer is patting him down. Another officer is standing near him. The officer who is doing the patdown hits his head on the other officer. Thinking it was the suspect who tried to strike him, he punches the man in the groin several times.

Bodycam footage does not show the suspect threatening the officer at the time of the arrest. The officer was relieved of duty and then charged with aggravated battery and official misconduct. However, a grand jury declined to file charges against the officer and so, the case has been dismissed.

Understanding the Problem

January 26, 2022

Women Charged With Felony Burglary in Glitter Bomb Battery

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

The law is seldom funny, yet here we are. Two women are being charged with felony burglary and battery after breaking into a man’s apartment and glitter bombing him during a dispute. Police say they have the altercation on video and at one point, one of the women threw the glitter can at the victim. Police later traced the women’s vehicle to their home. Police found evidence of glitter within the vehicle.

How Serious are These Charges?

The two women are facing life in prison in Florida, where the crime occurred. Why? Because they burglarized a home and committed battery at the same time. Burglary + Battery + Florida = Potential Life Sentence. Florida is not a great place to play around. The Florida police are not necessarily going to make a huge distinction between someone entering a home to rob it and someone entering a home to play a prank. No matter what happened here, whether it was a domestic argument turned upside down or just a drunk prank, the actual penalties they are facing are extremely severe.

August 4, 2021

Black Man Assaulted by Group of White Men is Facing Charges

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

A Black man assaulted by a group of white men is facing criminal charges related to the incident. According to the man, who is a local civil rights activist and a member of the Monroe County Human Rights Commission, called 911 after being assaulted by five men. The men accused him of trespassing on private property. The victim apologized and said he was not aware, but the situation escalated quickly when the men tried to teach him a lesson.

According to the victim, the men threatened to break his arms and “get a noose.” One of the men was wearing a confederate flag hat, while others were chanting white power. Cellphone video captured some of the event.

Two of the white men face charges of felony criminal confinement and battery resulting in moderate bodily injury. The white men maintained that they were threatened first and that the complainant was trespassing. Their lawyers claim that the two are victims of a smear campaign to jacket them as white supremacists. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources recommended charges be filed against all involved in the incident, but Monroe County prosecutors initially only filed charges against the two white men. Now the victim will have to face charges related to trespassing and battery. The FBI also said they are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.

June 4, 2021

Chicago Police Officers Under Investigation After Beating of Teenager

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

Two Chicago police officers are under investigation after allegedly beating a teenaged boy whom they had arrested in the past. Two others face allegations that they failed to intervene or stop the unjustified use of force. The incident is being investigated by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. Police say that they only went after the boy after he had struck their vehicle with a stolen vehicle in his possession and pointed a gun at the officers.

One of the officers is alleged to have struck the teenager in the face and head, while another is alleged to have pressed his face into the ground and into a wire fence. The other officer is accused of punching the teenager without justification. A third officer is accused of failing to intervene and a fourth is accused of turning off his body camera. The police are also accused of conducting an improper vehicle pursuit, among other procedural issues. None of the officers have been charged with disciplinary violations.

Analyzing the Situation

March 26, 2021

Two Men, Girl Charged in Organized Dating App Robberies

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

Two 18-year-old men are facing charges of terrorizing two other men who had arranged dates on the popular Tinder App. Jahziah McDonald and Jeremiyah Mannie were denied bail after the prosecutors said that the attacks were organized. The men have been charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated vehicular hijacking, and aggravated robbery—all of which are felonies. The men did not have adult records. However, one faced juvenile charges related to auto theft. A third female teenager was used to lure the men to the attack. The teenaged girl will face juvenile charges. A fourth individual who attended the attacks was released uncharged.

Hook-up Site Robberies Targeting Men

Men are not usually the target of hook-up site robberies. Generally, it is women who have to be more careful. However, anyone can be the victim of this sort of attack without regard to their gender. In this case, men hoping to hook up with a pretty girl were lured to a secluded place where the attack could be conducted. One man was forced to withdraw money from his account at an ATM.

October 28, 2020

Security Guard Stabbed 27 Times Over Mask Enforcement

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

Two sisters stabbed a security guard 27 times after being asked to wear a mask and use hand sanitizer. The older sister, 21-year-old Jessica Hill, stabbed the 6’5”, 270-pound security guard, while her younger sister, 18-year-old Jayla Hill, held him by his hair. In denying bail, the judge noted that “the complete randomness of the attack” was terrifying.

What Happened?

This whole thing is a little weird, so let’s see if we can unpack it.

September 30, 2020

Charges Dropped Against Woman Dragged by Hair

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

A woman who was dragged by the hair out of her car during an arrest will not face misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct. The woman Mia Wright claims that officers dragged her out of her car by her hair near the Brickyard Mall and then knelt on her neck for a period of time. City officials refused to explain why they dropped the charges against the woman.

An attorney for Mia Wright said that anyone who looked at the video would see that the police officers’ reaction was baseless and unnecessary.

The Video

July 15, 2020

CTA Employees Facing Charges After Fist Fight Goes Viral

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported on a CTA incident in which two CTA employees allegedly got into an altercation with a bus rider. The incident occurred on June 11. 28-year-old Leonard Anders Jr. and 46-year-old Milan Williams, both transit employees, have been fired and now face charges for their role in the incident. The victim, 43-year-old Lawrence Madden can be seen on video getting body slammed by Lawrence Madden who entered the altercation after a fight broke out between Anders and Madden.

CTA announced that the two men were being fired for violation of a number of rules, including conduct unbefitting of a CTA employee and failure to report the incident. The two men also face charges of misdemeanor battery and aggravated felony battery.

Who Threw the First Punch?