An Alderman Was Punched In The Face Outside His Office Last Night
By Mae Rice in News on Apr 22, 2016 6:19PM
Chicago politics is a dangerous game, and it's been especially so lately. In March, a man running for Illinois House was staple-gunned in the forehead outside his office (though critics say it was all a media stunt). Then Thursday night, Ald. Walter Burnett (27th) was punched in the face outside his Near West Side office by a man he alleges was menacing him all day.
Burnett, 53, was clocked by a 30-year-old man outside his office (located at 4 N. Western Ave.) at 7 p.m. Thursday night, police said. An unnamed Burnett staffer told ABC7 that Burnett was on his way into the office for "Constituent Night." The alderman refused medical attention, police said, and his assailant was arrested shortly thereafter. Charges are pending.
After the attack, Burnett described it to the Sun-Times as part of an ongoing pattern of threatening behavior from his attacker. The man initially visited Burnett's office at 11:30 a.m. Thursday morning, and told Burnett staffers he planned to kill Burnett and Mayor Rahm Emanuel. He left the premises soon after—hopefully after being ejected—but Burnett said he lurked around the office for the rest of the day.
“I’m a boxer, so I can take a punch,” Burnett told the Sun-Times. He added that what "disturbed" him more about the incident was "that somebody would be motivated enough to do that to me.”