A 33-year-old Wheeling man is the first person to be charged with the brutal beating and robbery of two men in the middle of State Street early Saturday morning, police said. Investigators continue to search for at least two more suspects, according to a source.
The beating and robbery on the 400 block of North State was captured on video as it unfolded around 1:31 a.m.
Police said Brandon Jefferson participated in the attack and stole one of the victim’s cars. He’s charged with two felony counts of robbery, two felony counts of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, and receiving-possessing a stolen motor vehicle.
Officers arrested Jefferson on Monday evening in the Robert Taylor Homes neighborhood.
A shirtless man in a baseball hat who resembles Jefferson is seen throughout the four-minute video. That person batters the two victims and goes through their pockets as they lie in the street. At one point, the individual double-teams one of the victims, repeatedly punching the victim in the head with both fists as an accomplice holds the victim in place on the pavement.
The allegedly stolen car apparently belongs to a 40-year-old man who slammed to the pavement after another attacker sucker-punched him in the head.
Court records show Jefferson received a seven-year sentence for committing an armed robbery with a handgun on the Red Line at Argyle in April 2012.
He is due in bond court on Thursday. CWBChicago will post an update after his court appearance.
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