Calumet City Man Faces Charges in Violent Robbery Downtown
A Calumet City man, Cornelius Bates, has been accused of participating in a violent robbery downtown, just days after being released from custody for a previous incident involving security guards at a River North hotel. Bates, 42, is now facing charges of robbery and aggravated battery in connection with the attack on a 44-year-old man in the 300 block of North Lower Michigan Avenue.
The incident took place on January 15, when Chicago police responded to a call of a person with a knife at 35 East Wacker Drive. The victim reported that three men in a U-Haul van had attacked him, with one punching him in the face, another throwing him to the ground, and all three punching and kicking him while he was down. The attackers stole his Louis Vuitton gym bag before fleeing the scene. The victim sustained injuries to his face but declined medical attention.
Police located three individuals matching the victim’s descriptions shortly after the incident. The victim identified all three men as the attackers and expressed a desire to press charges. Two suspects managed to flee the scene, leaving Bates to face charges alone.
Judge Luciano Panici Jr. ordered Bates to be detained pending trial.
Prior to the robbery, Bates was on pretrial release for an incident involving a security guard at a River North hotel. On January 10, Bates was found sleeping in a hallway on the 14th floor with alcohol and other items. When security guards attempted to escort him out, Bates became aggressive, yelling, pushing, and flailing his arms. He then allegedly punched a 21-year-old security officer in the face multiple times, causing bruising under his eye. Despite the altercation, all parties involved declined medical attention.
Following the incident at the hotel, Bates was released the next day on a non-detainable misdemeanor battery charge by Judge Ankur Srivastava.
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