Person of interest questioned in River North attack on female security guard
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A man captured on surveillance video punching a female security guard outside a River North condo turned himself in and was being questioned by police, officials said Tuesday.
Charges were expected Tuesday night. The man has not yet been identified. He is a man in his 20s from Chicago's North Side.
Dawn Valenti, a family friend of the man, said that he is a good guy who made a poor choice under the influence of alcohol. However, she said: "I'm not here to defend his actions. What he did was wrong."
With Valenti's help, he turned himself into police Monday night.
"He's very sorry for what he did. He's very remorseful. He turned himself in because he knew that was the right thing to do," Valenti said.
The attack happened early Sunday and involved security guard Zoa Stigler, who was punched in the face, sustaining a broken nose and black eye. She was trying to help the man who appeared to be passed out on the sidewalk in front of the building.
Stigler was called in Tuesday to identify the man in a lineup and give a statement to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.
While Stigler - who is scheduled for surgery on Wednesday - said she forgives him, she questions his remorse.
"You can't be too sorry, because you walked away. And the people who were with you can't be sorry because they saw what he did and no one held him accountable," Stigler said.
A GoFundMe page, set up by the president of the condo association at 630 North Franklin, raised more than $10,000 by Tuesday.
The incident happened after 2 a.m. at the 630 North Franklin condos on Chicago's North Side.
Stigler had seen the man, who appeared to be drunk, on the ground and went out to him. He said he was OK and then she told him that he needs to get up.
He didn't get up and minutes later, the man stood up and - surrounded by friends - attacks.
"He didn't say one word. He just walked up to me and threw the bottled water and hit me in my face," Stigler said.
Then he and his friends casually walked away, like nothing ever happened.
"You really need to be ashamed of yourself. You should never hit anyone, not because of I am a female but because I am a human being. You shouldn't hit a person doing their job," Stigler said.
Stigler, who is a mother and a new grandmother, was out of the hospital on Sunday.
"You don't know how much damage you have done to me. I pray that they find you," said Stigler, who also is a student working the security guard job for extra cash.
