Chicago man charged in brutal beating of elderly couple in Irving Park
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Chicago man has been charged in the brutal beating of an elderly couple after they got off the Blue Line in Irving Park.
Tomatae Sipes, 28, of the 4200 block of W. Irving Park Road, faces three felony aggravated battery charges and other misdemeanors, after he allegedly attacked the couple, who are both 72 years old, on Feb. 17 during the day. Sipes was also charged with beating a 42-year-old man in the 0-100 block of West Huron.
As CBS 2's Jermont Terry reported last month, the couple believes the man followed them from the Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line – and then started punching and kicking them for no clear reason.
Bob Tataryn and his wife, Katheryn, were still recovering following the walk home in the Irving Park neighborhood that left him bloody and with a broken nose. The attack was random, and the attacker didn't even steal anything – except, of course, for the victims' peace of mind.
Tataryn said it was 3 p.m. when they got to the Irving Park Road Blue Line platform in the median on the Kennedy Expressway - and he realized someone was right behind him.
When they came down the platform, Tataryn said the same man did not let up.
"And the guy was four feet away from us, still," he said.
The Tataryns, both 72, decided to cross the street. But Bob Tataryn said the guy was still close behind – and when they got to the intersection of Avondale Avenue and Irving Park Road, Tataryn turned around and asked why he was following them.
The next thing the couple knew, the man attacked and started swinging.