Chicago Judge Releases Man Accused of Attacking 79-Year-Old Woman, Smearing Blood on Nurse

A Chicago man accused of violently attacking an elderly woman and assaulting a nurse with his bodily fluids has been released after a judge refused to categorize him as a public safety threat.

Prosecutors allege that 25-year-old Edwardo Echevarria caused a 79-year-old woman to hit her head on the cement after pushing her to the ground and then smeared bloody saliva on a nurse who was treating him, CWB Chicago reported.

After telling Judge David Kelly of the suspect’s alleged crimes, prosecutors requested that Echevarria be held in jail until his next court date as a public safety precaution.

However, Kelly declined to deem Echevarria a safety risk and released him without electronic monitoring or even a curfew.

The incident took place Friday around 3:00 p.m. near the Ashland Orange Line transit station, when Echevarria was allegedly “chasing another man on the street” when he crossed paths with the female victim, according to the local outlet.

State’s attorneys said Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) surveillance footage shows the suspect pushing the woman in her chest, sending her body flying to the ground, and her head connecting with the payment. Both her head and wrist were injured as a result. 

The footage was also able to show that Echevarria had a Ka-Bar knife in a black sheath hanging from his belt when he was on the train before the alleged attack.

“First responders took Echevarria to Mt. Sinai Hospital for treatment of facial injuries he suffered in a previous incident,” the outlet reported.

While receiving treatment, Echevarria spat bloody saliva into his hand and then allegedly wiped it on the arm of his nurse. Prosecutors also said he urinated and defecated on the hospital floor.

Despite being charged with aggravated battery of a victim over 60 years old, aggravated battery of a nurse, and two ordinance violations for having weapons on the CTA, Judge Kelly rejected the state’s public safety detention petition.

Another Chicago judge has also faced backlash recently after releasing another suspect, this time accused of stealing an ATM from a restaurant.

The suspect, whom CWB Chicago identified as Jason Burton, is a career criminal who had only been out of jail for a few months before the alleged ATM theft.