Another man has joined the growing list of so-called “Loop puncher” defendants, men accused of randomly attacking people, usually women, in the inner city. His name is Samuel Z. Jackson, and officials say he is a repeat offender who was on parole for theft when he struck again.
Jackson, 31, is charged with aggravated battery in a public place for allegedly punching a female DePaul University student in the face as she walked into the 100 block of West Madison Street on August 11 around 9:25 p.m. Prosecutors said the blow knocked her to the ground before Jackson walked away.
Two Chicago police officers who knew Jackson from a similar case recognized him from surveillance footage, according to court records. Jackson was recently arrested in Rosemont on suspicion of the August attack. Judge Ankur Srivastava ordered him detained.
The aggravated battery charge is the most serious charge Jackson is currently facing, but it is not the only one. He also faces separate misdemeanor charges stemming from an altercation on a suburban Metra train in January. Additional details about that case were not immediately available.
Court records show Jackson has faced other charges of randomly hitting people since his parole last summer, but both cases were dismissed.
On August 22, a 26-year-old man told police that Jackson approached him in the 1600 block of North Western Avenue and punched him in the face without provocation. Prosecutors charged Jackson with a misdemeanor, a non-arrestable offense.
According to court records, the Illinois Department of Corrections chose not to revoke his parole in that case, so Judge Luciano Panici Jr. Jackson under electronic surveillance. That case was dismissed on September 23 after the alleged victim failed to appear in court, according to records.
About two months later, on November 19, another 26-year-old man reported that he was walking in the 1500 block of West Adams Street when Jackson approached him, asked what he was looking at, and then punched him in the chest and head. Officers arrested Jackson nearby. He was again charged with a crime.
Judge James Costello ordered him to be on electronic monitoring, but the ankle monitor was removed on Dec. 18 when the case was dismissed, court records show. The reason for the dismissal is not given
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