A 29-year-old River North nightclub worker has been charged in connection with a brutal bar fight that left a 25-year-old man permanently blinded in one eye outside a West Loop bar late last year.
Julio De La Cruz was arrested this month in connection with the attack on December 15, 2024, outside PB&J, a pub at 205 North Peoria.
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According to the state’s detention petition, the victim, who resides in Elgin, and a friend went to PB&J at 8:30 p.m. after watching a hockey game and kept to themselves until a brawl broke out among other guests.
Someone involved in the dispute hit the victim’s companion in the face, dragging him into the melee, according to prosecutors. The victim attempted to take his companion out of the brawl, according to the petition, but bouncers eventually expelled everyone involved, including the victim and his friend.
According to the paper, one of the fighters attacked the buddy outside the pub once again. As a small group gathered to watch the brawl, the victim was left alone when De La Cruz allegedly approached and asked if he wanted to fight, according to authorities.
The victim raised his hands, indicating that he did not want to fight, but De La Cruz allegedly charged him into a fence and began grappling. The two wrestled briefly without throwing fists, but De La Cruz eventually gained enough distance to kick the victim “directly in the eye,” according to the petition.
The victim “felt a pop and blood rush down his face from his eye socket,” according to the statement. Despite his injuries, he managed to break from De La Cruz and phone 911. According to prosecutors, a surveillance camera captured the whole encounter, including the kick to the face.
While the victim waited for paramedics, De La Cruz allegedly returned, cursing and attempting to provoke him until he realized the severity of the injuries and fled, adding that the victim “clearly had enough,” according to prosecutors.
Surgeons attempted to salvage the victim’s left eye, but he is now completely blind on that side. The petition claims he suffered an orbital fracture, a globe fracture, and a fractured nose.
In January, Chicago police released surveillance photographs of the attacker and sought the public for help in identifying him. According to the petition, detectives eventually tracked down De La Cruz with the help of individuals in the city’s bar industry.
Judge Luciano Panici Jr. refused the state’s plea to imprison De La Cruz and instead ordered his release with electronic monitoring. He is charged with aggravated violence resulting in grievous bodily harm.
