COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A woman was flagging a cab on North Michigan Avenue earlier this week when a man appeared "out of the blue," grabbed her cell phone, slapped her and pushed her in front of a bus, the woman and authorities said.
Mark Latter, of the 500 block of West Belmont Avenue, was charged Friday with aggravated battery in a public place, robbery and criminal damage to property in connection with the incident at 9 a.m. Tuesday monring.
In an interview Friday, the 31-year-old woman said she was walking on Michigan Avenue near Superior Street on her way to class at a local college when the man approached.
He allegedly hit her and snatched her iPhone, which later broke when he threw it to the ground. He then shoved her into oncoming traffic and yelled, "'You want to fight me?'" the woman and officials said.
She was pushed in front of an oncoming CTA bus, but she fortunately did not get struck, the woman and officials said.
But desperate to escape the assault, the woman said she started knocking on the car windows of cars passing on Michigan Avenue for help.
"No one would let me in," she said.
However, a "field reporter" in a Channel 7 news van came to the woman's aid, she said.
"He let me wait in [the van] for police to come," said the woman, who suffered no injuries. "I'm fine now, but I was really shaken up."
Latter fled the scene but was arrested by police in the 700 block of North Rush Street, according to court records.
An arrest warrant had been issued for Latter two days prior to the attack, according to court records. He had apparently violated the terms of his release on recent theft charges.
Cook County Judge Laura Sullivan ordered Latter held on $100,000 bond at a hearing Friday. Latter was in the hospital and not in court.
But Latter's attorney, Barry Sheppard, told the judge that his client had been suffering from "psychological" problems recently.
