Man charged in hatchet attack at McDonald’s on Chicago’s Southwest Side
By Shardaa Gray, Elyssa Kaufman
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CHICAGO (WBBM) — A man has been charged after three McDonald’s workers were brutally attacked on Chicago’s Southwest Side on Sunday.
Police said Jermaine Allen, 24, has been charged with three felony counts of attempted murder among charges of aggravated battery.
In court Tuesday, Allen was in the same clothes as he had been when he was arrested on Sunday. His mother did not want to speak on camera, but she said her son has not been on any medication—and she does not believe he committed the crime.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s office said Allen used a wooden axe—earlier described as a hatchet—to stab an 18-year-old man and two 45-year-old women working at the McDonald’s at 7832 S. Western Ave.
Prosecutors said McDonald’s surveillance shows everything that unfolded inside the restaurant. They also said the 18-year-old victim told police that Allen has been in that McDonald’s before and has caused previous problems.
The state said Allen walked into the McDonald’s just before 8 a.m. Sunday and asked for free coffee. The cashier told him no, and they got into a quarrel.
When the cashier bent over to grab something from the register, prosecutors said that was when Allen pulled out the hatchet and hit him in the back of the neck and shoulder.
Prosecutors said Allen then jumped the counter and attacked the two women employees—one of them earlier identified as the manager. One of the two women suffered injuries to her chest and back, while the other was struck in the head and back.
The second woman suffered a fractured skull and lacerations to the back, prosecutors said.
The 18-year-old was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in good condition. One of the women was also taken to Advocate Christ in serious condition. The second woman was taken to Holy Cross Hospital in good condition.
Hours after the incident, police got a call saying the person who stabbed the three was back. The call came from across the street at Nicky’s Family Restaurant & Pancake House and reported that the attacker was at the Chicago Transit Authority’s neighboring 79th/Western Bus Terminal.
CBS News Chicago’s cameras were rolling Sunda when Allen was arrested.
The judge at Allen’s detention hearing said the attack seemed unprovoked and random.
Allen was expected to be back in court on Wednesday for prior offenses—such as retail theft and drug charges.
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