LAKEVIEW — A fight that broke out during a holiday pub crawl sent a man flying face-first into the storefront of Chicago Comics, breaking the glass, the store's owner said Monday.
Two men wearing holiday gear for Twelve Bars of Christmas, or TBOX, started fighting in front of the store, said Eric Kirsammer, owner of Chicago Comics at 3244 North Clark Street. The crawl starts at 8 a.m., and attendees often party late into the night.
Chicago Comics employee Raphael Espinoza said the two men appeared to be fighting over an ashtray with a marijuana leaf decoration on it that was purchased from Smoke Shop Novelties next door. Employees saw a big guy and an average-sized "jock" guy arguing, and suddenly, the smaller guy's face burst through storefront, breaking the entire right window of the store, they said.
"A tenant told me it sounded like a car had crashed into the store," Kirsammer said.
Employees walked out to check out the situation. The big guy's friends ushered him away, Kirsammer said, and the smaller one sat up in the middle of the glass and asked: "What happened?"
"The guy was so drunk, he didn't realize he was hurt," Kirsammer said.
He had a cut on the right side of his head, and every time employees looked over again, there was more blood, Kirsammer said. The man's holiday t-shirt was also soaked with his own blood, said Espinoza, who saw the him after he got up.
A police car was driving by and helped take the man to the hospital. Kirsammer is still filing an official report.
In the store's 19 years on the street, they've never had a problem related to intoxicated neighbors, Kirsammer said. He doesn't have a problem being around bars or TBOX, but he thinks if it started later, his window would not have broken.
On Saturday, a man allegedly jumped out of a bathroom stall at sports bar Red Ivy, 3525 N. Clark St., and stabbed another man in the neck with a broken beer bottle, police said.
Gregg Greaves, 23, was charged with aggravated battery in the stabbing. He allegedly threw feces all over the area he was held after being arrested, prosecutors said Monday. Greaves was ordered held on $500,000 bond.
