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Volleyball Player Stabbed Repeatedly While Leaving North Avenue Beach

By Mina Bloom | July 27, 2016 2:22pm
 Michael Curry, 27, faces criminal charges in the July 17 stabbing of a volleyball player who was on his way home from North Avenue beach, according to Chicago police and the victim's account on social media.
Michael Curry, 27, faces criminal charges in the July 17 stabbing of a volleyball player who was on his way home from North Avenue beach, according to Chicago police and the victim's account on social media.
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Shutterstock/Chicago Police Department

LINCOLN PARK — A man is facing criminal charges in the stabbing of a volleyball player on his way home from North Avenue beach, according to Chicago police and the victim's account on social media.

On the night of July 17, the 46-year-old volleyball player said he was walking to his car in the 2000 block of North Lincoln Park West after playing at North Avenue beach when a man threw a "liquid substance" at him, according to Chicago police and the victim's Facebook post.

When the victim asked the man why he threw something at him, the man pulled a knife and stabbed him multiple times before running away, police said. 

In a Facebook post, the victim said he was stabbed five times and taken to Northwestern Hospital, where doctors stitched and stapled him up until 3 a.m.

"i was released two days ago, but still can't lift my left arm," said the Facebook post, which was posted to Reddit over the weekend. 

"I hope to be back playing in a few weeks I know it is generally a very safe area but even so, anyone who walks away from there alone may want to rethink that, especially the women. Hope to see you all again fairly soon," the post reads.


The victim's full Facebook account was posted to Reddit over the weekend. [Reddit]

Using the victim's description, responding officers were able to arrest Michael Curry, 27, of the first block of South Kedzie Avenue. Curry faces a felony count of aggravated battery and use of a deadly weapon, police said. 

Eric Truong, 27, the beach volleyball director at Players Sports and Social, said while the victim doesn't belong to his league, his story has been shared widely among Chicago's beach volleyball community. 

"I've gotten hundreds of messages," Truong said. 

Games at North Avenue beach can go as late as 10:30 p.m., which can leave players walking home in the dark. After the incident, Truong said ending games earlier is "being brought into the conversation."

The anonymously run Crime in Wrigleyville + Boystown blog was first to report the crime.

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