Violent 16-time felon attacked stranger with hammer, then escaped on a CTA bus: prosecutors

A 16-time convicted violent felon is back behind bars after prosecutors said he launched a brutal, unprovoked hammer attack on a senior citizen in Auburn Gresham this summer.

Prosecutors say Frank Barker, 58, of South Holland, ambushed a 69-year-old man who was unloading groceries outside his home in the 8300 block of South Green Street around 1:48 p.m. on August 20.

Prosecutors said Barker, who stands 6’2” and weighs 260 pounds, took “full power swings” at the man’s head, causing “critical injuries, disfigurement, and major blood loss,” a criminal complaint said. Despite the severity of the attack, officials said Barker didn’t steal anything. Instead, he casually walked to a nearby bus stop, boarded a CTA bus with his hammer, and left the area…

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