Another downtown Chicago 'puncher' faces hate crime, battery charges after women attacked

A 36-year-old man remains in custody Tuesday, accused of attacking three women in the Loop last week.

Edwin Barron faces hate crime and aggravated battery charges after Chicago police arrested him on March 5. On Sunday, a judge ordered Barron to be detained and to appear in court again March 13. Barron's attacks in the Loop are the latest in a series of violent encounters around the Chicago area.

According to police reports, on the evening of March 5, officers responded to reports of a male dressed entirely black hitting random people in the area of 108 S. Michigan Ave.

One victim, a 24-year-old Black woman, said Barron struck her on the left arm and called her the N-word multiple times. Another victim, a 21-year-old woman, told police her hair was pulled, and still another woman, 24, said Barron struck her on the head.

This incident was not the first time Barron has been arrested for violently attacking pedestrians.

In 2020, Barron was arrested for "knowingly and intentionally" making physical contact with another female victim. Court documents showed he kicked the victim off of her bike while she was riding it.