Chicago Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) was jumped, punched, and kicked by two men outside a River North bar in his downtown ward last week, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Reilly told the paper he was waiting for friends outside Boss Bar, 420 North Clark, when two complete strangers began the attack around 10:30 p.m. Thursday, February 18.
“Out of nowhere this guy ran up on me. He was yelling at me,” Reilly told the paper, “and before I know it, he’s on top of me, punching me in the face.”
Then, a second man joined the fray, kicking Reilly in the head, the alderman said. One of the bar’s bouncers pulled the men off Reilly, who has represented the area since 2007.
”I had never seen these people before in my life,” he said. “I had no prior contact with these folks. I don’t know if it was mistaken identity or something. It was completely random.”
He told the paper the men didn’t try to rob him and they fled in a car that was sitting nearby.
Neither Reilly nor the bar called police — which may be a bit of a problem for the establishment. City ordinance requires liquor licensees to report any illegal activity their employees see inside or outside the business.
The Tribune said Mayor Lori Lightfoot instructed the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, which oversee business licenses, to investigate the incident along with CPD.
Reilly has been unafraid to talk openly about his concerns about crime in the downtown area. He also broke ranks from the Cook County Democratic Party to endorse a Republican candidate over incumbent Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx in last November’s election. Foxx won handily.
