CHICAGO — A Chicago man on probation for beating an EMT into unconsciousness attacked a Target security guard with a large kitchen knife, causing a wound so large, it required 20 stitches to close, prosecutors said.
Judge William Fahy held Roman Butler, 27, in lieu of a $10,000 bail payment during a bond hearing Monday afternoon.
Butler entered the Target at 1 South State Street around 9 a.m. Saturday intending to steal a phone charger, Assistant State’s Attorney Alexander Konetzki told the judge.
Store security guards stopped Butler as he prepared to walk out with the item, and Butler agreed to accompany them to the store’s booking room, Konetzki continued.
But when they reached the security office, Butler refused to go inside. He began throwing shoplifted items out of his backpack, and the security officers told him to leave, said Konetzki.
Instead of leaving, Butler pulled a large kitchen knife from his waistband, removed it from its sheath, and charged at two of the guards, Konetzki said. The blade slashed the arm of a 25-year-old security officer.
Butler charged at the guards again but finally put the knife away and tried to leave, but he became trapped in the revolving door, according to Koneztki. Chicago police officers found him stuck inside the door when they arrived.
A CPD officer applied a tourniquet to the security guard’s arm to slow blood loss until a Chicago Fire Department ambulance took the victim to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Konetzki called the knife wound “very deep.”
Butler’s defense attorney said on Monday that he has been homeless for ten years. He is charged with burglary, aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, and aggravated assault.
Last October, a judge sentenced Butler to two years probation for aggravated battery to an EMT. In that case, Konetzki said, first responders took Butler to a hospital after he behaved erratically on the CTA.
While a student EMT tried to treat Butler’s unspecified physical injuries, Butler kicked him in the head and body so many times that the EMT lost consciousness, Konetzki said. Butler continued to kick him while he was down, causing him to suffer a concussion.
Judge Fahy ordered Butler held without bail for violating probation in that case until the judge who handled it can review the new allegations on Wednesday. Should Butler become eligible for release, Fahy said, he must go on electronic monitoring.
