Another man has joined the growing list of so-called “Loop puncher” defendants, men accused of randomly attacking people, usually women, in the downtown area. His name is Samuel Z. Jackson, and officials say he is a repeat offender who was on parole for robbery when he struck again.
Jackson, 31, is charged with aggravated battery in a public place for allegedly punching a female DePaul University student in the face as she walked in the 100 block of West Madison Street around 9:25 p.m. on August 11. Prosecutors said the blow knocked her to the ground before Jackson ran away.
Two Chicago police officers who were familiar with Jackson from a similar case recognized him from surveillance images, according to court records. Jackson was recently arrested in Rosemont to face charges in the August attack. Judge Ankur Srivastava ordered him detained.
The aggravated battery charge marks the most serious allegation Jackson currently faces, but it is not the only one. He is also charged separately with misdemeanor battery stemming from an altercation on a Metra train in the suburbs in January. Additional details about that case were not immediately available.
Court records show Jackson has faced other accusations of randomly punching people since being paroled last summer, but both of those cases were dismissed.
On August 22, a 26-year-old man told police that Jackson approached him in the 1600 block of North Western Avenue and punched him in the face without provocation. Prosecutors charged Jackson with misdemeanor battery, a non-detainable offense.
According to court records, the Illinois Department of Corrections chose not to revoke his parole in that case, so Judge Luciano Panici Jr. placed Jackson on electronic monitoring. That case was dismissed on September 23 after the alleged victim did not appear in court, according to records.
About two months later, on November 19, another 26-year-old man reported that he was walking in the 1500 block of West Adams Street when Jackson approached him, asked what he was looking at, and then punched him in the chest and head. Officers arrested Jackson nearby. He was again charged with misdemeanor battery.
Judge James Costello ordered him placed on electronic monitoring, but the ankle monitor was removed on December 18 when the case was dismissed, court records show. The reason for the dismissal is not given
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