COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — The Belmont Cragin man who was shot twice by an off-duty Chicago Police officer Saturday has been charged with aggravated battery.
Prosecutors allege Anthony Castaneda, 32, repeatedly struck the off-duty officer with a baseball bat about 10:35 p.m. Saturday in the 2600 block of North Monitor Avenue.
Moments later, the off-duty officer pulled a gun and fired at Castaneda — striking him in the stomach and leg, Assistant State's Attorney Lorraine Scaduto said during a bond hearing Monday.
Castaneda was still being treated at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center on Monday afternoon and did not appear in court.
According to prosecutors, the shooting stemmed from an altercation between the off-duty officer and one of Castaneda's friends. The officer tried to pat down the friend after he allegedly shouted obscenities at the officer — saying "he didn't care who the f--- he [the officer] was, he'd die like the rest," Scaduto said.
The off-duty officer identified himself as police several times, according to prosecutors. But when he tried to search Castaneda's friend Saturday night, the friend began shouting for help and ringing doorbells, Scaduto said.
That's when Castaneda came outside with a baseball bat and struck the off-duty officer in his arm and upper shoulder, prosecutors said.
In court Monday, Castaneda's defense attorney, Steven Decker, said his client's version of events is "significantly different" from what police and prosecutors have detailed.
According to Decker, the officer wasn't carrying a badge and had no way to prove he was actually with the Chicago Police Department. Castaneda's friend wasn't carrying a weapon, Decker said, and the bat in question was actually a small "tee-ball or souvenir-type bat."
Decker said his client "suffered a significant medical problem" as a result of the shooting.
According to Scaduto, it all started when the off-duty officer left a relative's house about 10:35 p.m. Saturday. The officer was talking on his cellphone as he walked down the street, prosecutors said, and Castaneda's friend demanded to know who was on the line.
The officer told the man it was "none of your concern," Scaduto said, and kept walking. The man then allegedly asked the officer "what he was about."
At that point, the officer told the man he was an off-duty Chicago Police officer, and the man said, "he didn't care who the f--- he was, he'd die like the rest," prosecutors said. That's when the officer tried to pat down the man.
Multiple residents on the Belmont Cragin block came outside, Scaduto said, and told the off-duty officer to let go of the man. The officer can be heard in the background of a 911 call saying, "Relax, I'm not going to shoot you," Scaduto added.
At that point, Castaneda came outside and began to hit the officer, who proceeded to open fire toward Castaneda.
Castaneda, of the 2500 block of North Monitor Avenue, is currently on parole for aggravated kidnapping, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections. He was released on parole in February 2015.
Castaneda was arrested late Saturday and charged with aggravated battery to a peace officer and aggravated battery using a deadly weapon.
According to Decker, Castaneda works for a medical-transportation company, lives with a woman and takes care of her children.
The shooting is being investigated by the Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA), police said.
Per the Police Department's new policy, the officer will be assigned to desk duty for 30 days while the investigation unfolds.
Castaneda's bail was set at $250,000.
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