A man faces felony charges for allegedly hitting a River North bouncer in the face with a hammer.
The alleged attack occurred while the victim was working security at Mother Hubbard’s, 5 West Hubbard, around 10:30 p.m. on June 16. He was speaking with customers when Anthony Strozier, 31, walked up and sprayed him with pepper spray, Assistant State’s Attorney Steven Haamid said during a bail hearing on Friday. He said some of the customers were also affected by the pepper spray.
Strozier then swung a hammer two or three times, striking the victim in the forehead once, according to Haamid. A wound on the bouncer’s forehead was sewn up with 11 stitches. A cut on his nose needed two more stitches.
The victim told police that he had seen Strozier a couple of days before the attack. Strozier “confronted him” while the bouncer was assisting someone who worked nearby, according to Haamid, who did not provide further details about the previous encounter.
He said the victim and a witness who chased Strozier after the alleged attack identified him in separate photo line-ups. Police arrested Strozier last week after he was seen outside Mother Hubbard’s again.
Prosecutors charged him with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
His private defense attorney, Jeff Kent, said he is from Flint, Michigan, and has a degree in hospitality. Kent said Strozier had been a restaurant manager for a couple of years.
Judge Mary Marubio ordered Strozier to pay a $2,000 bail deposit to go home on electronic monitoring.
