COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A woman attacked a fellow driver with a baseball bat on an on-ramp to the Stevenson Expy. during rush hour traffic, prosecutors said.
Jami Holmes, 27, became angry when the driver honked his horn at her for nearly crashing into him on northbound Lake Shore Drive, according to Assistant State's Attorney Erin Antonietti.
So as the driver — who was taking his 6-year-old daughter to school — headed toward a southbound Stevenson ramp about 7:20 a.m. Sep. 20, prosecutors said, Holmes cut him off and stopped her car on the ramp, completely blocking traffic.
That's when Holmes took out a baseball bat and repeatedly beat the South Shore man's car — smashing windows and sending glass flying toward the 6-year-old girl, court records show.
The 47-year-old driver got out of his car to protect his daughter, Antonietti said, and Holmes turned the bat toward the man, beating him on his head and body.
The man eventually grabbed the bat and threw it off the ramp, but not before sustaining injuries so severe that he needed eight staples in his head, Antonietti said.
Once the bat was gone, Holmes continued to yell profanities while jumping on the man and biting his ear, according to prosecutors.
A witness was able to take a photo of the woman's license plate, according to an arrest report.
The victim's car was dented in several places, prosecutors said, and his back light and back window were shattered.
Holmes, of suburban Oswego, was arrested Thursday and charged with aggravated battery in a public place.
According to her public defender, Holmes works as a housekeeper. Her mother is a pastor.
Cook County Judge Peggy Chiampas on Friday set bail at $75,000.
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