Former US Army vet Matthew DeLeon, charged with punching a security officer in the face.
A U.S. Army veteran caught on video punching and injuring a female security guard who was trying to help him will be back in court this week after a plea deal that would have sent him to prison for three years fell through last week.
Matthew DeLeon, 24, of Chicago, is charged with aggravated battery and causing great bodily harm in the May 2017 incident outside a building in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. According to prosecutors, an intoxicated DeLeon, who was in the Army at the time, was slumped over and vomiting, and when the guard came to his aid, he punched her in the face.
The surveillance video, which shows the punch, quickly went viral and DeLeon, who served in Afghanistan, turned himself into police less than two days later after he saw the video footage. He was later discharged from the Army with a less-than-honorable discharge, Chicago defense attorney, Richard Fenbert, said Thursday.
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The 46-year-old guard suffered nasal and orbital fractures that required plastic surgery and an ophthalmologist, prosecutors said shortly after the incident.
A GoFundMe has been set up for security officer Zoa Stigler, to help pay for medical expenses.
On Thursday at the Cook County courthouse in Skokie, Judge William O’Brien told DeLeon he could agree to the deal and be taken into custody immediately or the case would be set for trial. He could face a maximum of five years if found guilty at trial. DeLeon is currently free on bond.
“The (three-year) sentence is appropriate," O’Brien said. "He caved in a woman’s face and changed her life forever.”
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