Attempted murder charges have been filed against a man who police say beat a West Loop convenience store clerk with a weed cutter during a robbery that yielded a bottle of Fireball whiskey and a bottle of Tito’s Vodka early Tuesday morning.
Police arrested 51-year-old Ricky Norman of Garfield Park on the 200 block of South Clinton after they recognized him from surveillance photos of the attack around 9 p.m. on Tuesday.
Prosecutors say Norman entered the 7-Eleven at 627 West Jackson around 12:50 a.m. and began repeatedly beating the 29-year-old store clerk in the head with a weed cutting tool. Norman then went behind the counter, took a bottle of Fireball and a bottle of Tito’s, then fled, according to authorities.
The victim is being treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital for a fractured skull and broken facial bones. Police said he identified Norman in a photo array from his hospital bed on Tuesday night.
Prosecutors charged Norman with attempted first degree murder, Class X felony armed robbery and felony aggravated battery causing great bodily harm.
He was due in bond court before Judge Mary Marubio on Wednesday afternoon.
The value of the allegedly stolen liquor totaled $30.