A man with a long history of randomly attacking people in the Loop has pled guilty to viciously and randomly attacking another man with a pipe in the heart of downtown; however, despite his past, he will not be required to serve any prison time for this case.
Around 9:45 a.m. on December 8, 2022, a 53-year-old male was strolling in the 100 block of West Madison Street when Piere Thorne attacked him from behind with a metal weapon, according to prosecutors.
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According to court records, Thorne, 32, grabbed the weapon, presumably a metal pipe, off the ground, stepped behind the unidentified victim, and struck him in the back of the head. The victim immediately fell to the sidewalk and started bleeding profusely from the back of his head. Prosecutors claimed he had more facial injuries when he hit the ground.
In a court filing, prosecutors stated that his injuries included the loss of many teeth, multiple fractures to his face and jaw, a nose injury, lacerations to his chin and outer scalp, and an abrasion to his left eye. According to authorities, the victim underwent many reconstructive surgeries, and his face was irreparably damaged.
Investigators compared images of the attacker from CPD surveillance footage to Secretary of State data, according to prosecutors. Those efforts yielded Thorne as a possible match, so detectives presented his photo in a photo lineup, and a witness recognized him as the assailant.
Prosecutors claimed Thorne had been arrested 57 times before his 30th birthday and had multiple misdemeanor convictions, many of which included random attacks downtown.
Thorne has now ended the matter by pleading guilty to one count of aggravated battery causing serious bodily damage. Judge Joanne Rosado sentenced him to four years in prison. Thorne, on the other hand, will not serve any prison time after obtaining credit for 752 days in jail and a usual 50% sentence reduction.
