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<p>Chief Judge Timothy Evans of Cook County, a prominent advocate for Illinois' cashless bail initiative, took the rare step on Thursday of notifying court staff about two individuals linked to recent "Loop Puncher" assaults in downtown, despite the bail framework he championed allowing one of the suspects to be released.
<p>The discussion surrounding random attacks on women in Chicago has intensified this week, fueled by a <a href=” target=”_blank” width=”1024″>series of videos making the rounds online.
The internal memo highlighted arrest records and photographs of Derek Rucker and William Livingston, with a warning banner marked “VIOLENT TENDENCIES” in bold red under each individual’s photo. According to Evans, the security services division prepared these profiles due to rising concerns about physical assaults in the Loop, where suspects have been dubbed the “Loop Punchers.”
Rucker, aged 37, was taken into custody on Tuesday for allegedly hitting a 23-year-old woman at the Loyola Red Line station. He faces two counts of misdemeanor battery and has been released with an order to appear in court on October 30.
Evans’ assessment of Rucker reveals a history of 38 arrests and 18 convictions, highlighting a “repeated pattern of attacking strangers.” It further mentions that he is commonly referred to on social media as “The Loop Puncher.”
Notably, under the cashless bail law, misdemeanor battery is not classified as a detainable offense, meaning Rucker is out on bail pending his trial. In the past, a judge could have set a significant bail amount to keep him in custody, which is no longer the case.
The second individual featured in Evans’ memo, Livingston, is described as a “criminal gang member” with 29 arrests and 20 convictions, along with a record of making threats against police. CWBChicago has previously covered Livingston extensively, including our earlier report last month on the most recent incident he’s alleged to have committed, which gained traction across various corporate media outlets.
In his communication, Evans expressed that the distribution of Rucker and Livingston’s mugshots and criminal histories aims “to raise awareness regarding situational safety and to ensure your personal security,” stating that “your safety is our utmost concern.”
Late Thursday afternoon, we inquired with Evans’ office about how he reconciles a warning to staff regarding Rucker with his strong advocacy for the cashless bail legislation that may have allowed Rucker to be released. We are still awaiting a response and will update when we receive further information.
Last month, Evans lost his re-election bid as chief judge, a role he has held since September 2021. Circuit judges favored Judge Charles Beach, who has spent years assigning cash bail at 26th and California, with a vote of 144 to 109. Beach is set to assume the chief judge role on December 1.
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Tim Hecke serves as CWBChicago’s managing partner. He began his career at KMOX, the renowned news radio outlet in St. Louis. Following that, he worked at various stations in Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York City. Tim subsequently developed syndicated radio news and content services that catered to all of America’s 100 largest radio markets. He joined CWBChicago in 2019 as managing partner.
You can reach him via email at tim@cwbchicago.com
