The director of the Chicago Film Office is recovering after being beaten and robbed by a group of people outside his home, local film news site Reel Chicago reported.
“This [morning] I was attacked, beaten, and my car stolen by three kids,” Kwame Amoaku said in a Facebook post shared on social media. “Thanks to all who have reached out. I’m in the ICU. I’m going to be ok.”
Chicago police confirmed that a 51-year-old man was attacked — twice — by a group of three people on the 2100 block of West 22nd Place on Wednesday morning. CPD does not identify crime victims by name.
The Facebook post was accompanied by a picture of Amoaku wearing a neck brace in a hospital bed with one arm wrapped in heavy bandaging.
Police said the victim noticed three males inside his car as he walked toward it around 7:46 a.m. He confronted the intruders, and they began beating him with “various objects,” a CPD spokesperson said. The group then fled in a gray Dodge Caravan that was waiting nearby.
But they returned to the scene moments later and beat and robbed the victim again before leaving a second time.
The man was taken to Mt. Sinai hospital in serious but stable condition with head and arm injuries, police said.
No arrests have been made.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot appointed Amoaku to lead the city’s film office in July 2019. On Saturday, the mayor’s office referred an inquiry and request for comment by the mayor to the police department.
“My dad was viciously attacked outside his home,” his daughter wrote on Facebook. “He will be unable to work or cook for himself. Please donate if you are able. You never think this would happen to your family. Until it does.”
A Meal Train fundraiser, designed to provide meals for people in need, has been established to help Amoaku as he recovers.
Before heading up the city’s film office, Amoaku worked as the location manager for Chicago Fire and appeared as an actor on various locally-filmed TV shows according to Reel Chicago.
The Chicago Film Office smooths the path for local film projects by coordinating with city agencies for permits and special requests.