Man Pleads Guilty to Random Baseball Bat Attacks in Lincoln Park
A 21-year-old man, Julius Wilkerson, pleaded guilty this week to randomly attacking three people with a baseball bat in Lincoln Park last year. The attacks took place at Oz Park, located at 2021 North Burling, on October 18, 2023.
Wilkerson entered guilty pleas to three counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to three years by Judge Ursula Walowski.
According to reports, officers responded to calls of a man attacking people with an orange baseball bat at the park around 5:25 p.m. They found a 17-year-old girl and boy who were victims of the attacks. The victims stated that they did not know the assailant who struck them with the bat.
Prosecutors detailed that Wilkerson stole the bat from the park and used it to repeatedly hit the girl in the head, neck, and shoulder. He then continued to strike her in the head after she fell down while attempting to flee. The boy was also targeted, sustaining injuries to his back, shoulder, arm, and hand.
After fleeing the scene, Wilkerson briefly stopped to strike a 70-year-old man in the back of the head with the bat. He was apprehended by the police shortly after. Authorities found a knife with a 12-inch blade in his possession at the time of his arrest.
Passersby provided aid to at least one of the victims until paramedics arrived. All three victims were transported to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center with cuts and bruises, according to a police spokesperson.
Court records indicate that Wilkerson underwent multiple behavioral health evaluations and was deemed fit to face the charges. His three-year sentence will be halved for good behavior, with credit for the 384 days he has already spent in custody since his arrest.
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