Prosecutors on Friday released new details about a string of attacks Chicago police have linked to a so-called “Loop Puncher,” a small group of men known for randomly attacking women in the downtown area and on the CTA. While similar unprovoked assaults have occurred for years, the cases have drawn renewed attention in recent weeks as videos of the attacks spread widely across social media.
Derek Rucker, 37, was ordered detained Friday afternoon by Judge Deidre Dyer after prosecutors outlined a series of violent incidents that investigators have tied to the 6-foot-5, 250-pound man. At least two attacks occurred this week while Rucker was on pretrial release for earlier assaults.
The most recent attack happened Thursday morning in River North, where prosecutors said Rucker walked up to a woman crossing Ohio Street near State Street around 10:30 a.m. and punched her in the side of the head without warning. The 44-year-old victim fell and struck a metal support beam as the Rucker, wearing a bright orange sweatshirt, kept walking north, then turned around and passed her again, prosecutors said.
Officers found Rucker minutes later inside the nearby CTA Red Line station at Grand Avenue, where the victim identified him as her attacker…