A Logan Square man sentenced to over nine years in prison for attempted murder
Timothy Nielsen, a 62-year-old man from Logan Square, was sentenced to more than nine years in prison for attempted murder. The sentencing came after Nielsen pleaded guilty to the charge during a hearing before Judge Shelley Sutker-Dermer. He received a sentence of 9½ years.
Nielsen’s guilty plea followed a failed attempt to have the case dismissed on double jeopardy grounds. Despite previously pleading guilty to a reckless driving ticket issued at the scene, the courts ruled against Nielsen’s argument, allowing the case to proceed.
The incident occurred on May 1, 2021, when Nielsen drove his Ford F-150 into a group of picnickers along the 2900 block of West Logan Boulevard. Prior to the crash, Nielsen had engaged in a conversation with a neighbor, expressing his discontent with “yuppies on the boulevard” and warning the neighbor to “watch what I’m going to do.”
Shortly after the exchange, chaos erupted as Nielsen drove his truck into the birthday picnic gathering. He argued with the group, became hostile, and eventually accelerated his truck towards them, running over bicycles, chairs, and a YETI cooler. One woman was pinned under the truck while another victim suffered minor injuries.
Despite the group’s pleas to stop, Nielsen continued to try and accelerate until a bystander intervened, turning off the engine and disarming Nielsen who allegedly swung a knife at those trying to remove him from the vehicle.
Prosecutors highlighted Nielsen’s history of violence, including a past incident where he kidnapped a victim at gunpoint and a federal extortion case. Nielsen must serve 85 percent of his attempted murder sentence, with credit for time served since his arrest.
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