Crime & Safety
WWII Navy Veteran, 94, Attacked, Robbed at Her Southwest Side Home: Cops
VIDEO: The victim suffered three fractured ribs and other injuries in the assault Wednesday. Police are asking for help to find the suspect.
CHICAGO, IL — A 94-year-old World War II Navy veteran was attacked, and her purse was stolen Wednesday after a man allegedly followed her into her Garfield Ridge home, according to reports. Chicago police are searching for the suspect, who reportedly fled the scene in a stolen SUV that he later crashed.
The victim was taken to MacNeal Hospital before being transferred to Edwards Hines Jr. Veterans Administration Hospital, according to ABC 7 Chicago. She suffered three fractured ribs, a black eye, a possible concussion and other injuries and is in serious but stable condition, the report added.
The daughter of the victim told ABC 7 that her mother was waiting outside her home in the 5100 block of South Long Avenue at around 11:50 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7, when the suspect shoved the victim into her building's hall.
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"This man just came in the gangway and assaulted her, beat the s--- out of her, took her purse and ran," the daughter told the TV station.
Security video taken later Wednesday at nearby Villa Rosa Pizza in the 5700 block of South Archer Avenue allegedly shows the suspect crashing a stolen SUV into a telephone pole behind the restaurant. He's then seen running from the accident and carrying the victim's purse, according to police.
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The pizza restaurant posted the video footage on its Facebook page Wednesday. The victim's son works at Villa Rosa Pizza, and the business is offering a $5,000 reward to anyone with information about the attack, ABC 7 reports.
According to police, who have released an image from the security video, the suspect is described as:
- an African-American man
- between 25 to 35 years old
- about 6 feet tall and weighing 200 pounds
- having a beard and last seen wearing a brown leather jacket
Anyone with information about the suspect or the attack should call detectives at 312-747-8730.
An image from a security video of a suspect accused of beating a 94-year-old World War II veteran and stealing her purse at her Garfield Ridge neighborhood home Wednsday morning. (photo via Chicago Police Department)
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