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Walking Man's Attacker Facing Criminal Charges, Police Say

 A man has been charged in the beating of the Loop's famous
A man has been charged in the beating of the Loop's famous "Walking Man."
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Gettnerman/Flickr

CHICAGO — A man has been charged in the beating of the Loop's famous "Walking Man," police said.

Joseph Kromelis, called the Walking Man or Walking Dude and famous for wandering the Loop, was badly beaten with a baseball bat Tuesday in the 400 block of East Lower Wacker Drive. He was in serious condition at Northwestern Hospital.

Perry McCarlton, 41, has been charged with reckless conduct in the incident, said Officer Ana Pacheco, a Chicago Police spokeswoman. Kromelis didn't want to pursue the case, police said. No further details were immediately available.

Vytas Vaitkus, who said he was Kromelis' nephew on GoFundMe, said Kromelis was "brutally attacked with a baseball bat and had his eyes almost gouged out."

Vaitkus and other supporters have been raising money to help Kromelis, a Chicago icon. Their goal is to raise more than $50,000.

"I don't know what his financial situation is, but it can't do any harm to make sure that he has a nest egg to get him home safely, and set up with any rehab equipment he needs. Heck, he might even need cash to take a cab!" said Janice Riggs, who is behind one GoFundMe campaign for Kromelis. "The Walking Man is one of those fixtures of downtown Chicago life that makes our city special.

"The idea that someone as harmless as he is could be attacked spoils a little bit of what I love about this city."

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