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| Ricardo Camargo is charged with severely beating a man with a baseball bat. | CPD; Google |
A Lower West Side man who’s accused of severely beating another man with a baseball bat in Streeterville last week is facing two serious problems: Prosecutors charged him with multiple felonies and a group of car thieves stole the Jeep that he left idling in the street while he carried out the alleged attack.
Police were flagged down in the 900 block of North Dewitt around 8 p.m. last Friday by a passer-by who thought that a man lying on the ground was severely intoxicated. Moments later, 32-year-old Ricardo Camargo approached the officers while carrying a baseball bat and reported that his Jeep had just been stolen by three men.
At that point, a witness showed police video that showed Camargo beating the 27-year-old male victim with the bat, according to prosecutors. Camargo struck the victim repeatedly in the head with the bat and then dragged the man away from his Jeep where he continued to strike the victim in the chest and body with the bat, according to police.
While Camargo continued the beating, three men ran up to his idling white Jeep and sped away with it, according to a separate police report.
The victim, who police originally thought was merely intoxicated, suffered a fractured skull, swelling of the head, fractured facial bones, a fractured left thumb, and a laceration that required eight staples to close, police said.
Camargo is charged with felony aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and felony aggravated battery causing great bodily harm. Judge Stephanie Miller set bail at $30,000. Camargo went free this week by posting a $3,000 deposit bond.
A police spokesperson said the department was unaware of any motive for the alleged attack. The victim was listed in critical condition at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
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