Head Of Chicago Anti-Violence Group Arrested For Allegedly Hitting Wife
CHICAGO (CBS) – The head of a publicly funded anti-violence group is now facing charges after allegedly attacking his wife inside their suburban home.
Tio Hardiman, the head of Cease Fire/Cure The Violence, was arrested after allegedly striking his wife in Hillside, CBS 2's Mai Martinez reports.
Hardiman was booked at the Hillside Police station and has been charged with domestic abuse. He is scheduled to appear in bond court on Saturday.
Police say Hardiman's wife told officers she and Hardiman got into an argument Thursday night and things got physical.
She showed them bruises to prove it.
"They had probable cause to make an arrest, and Mr. Hardiman was placed into custody for domestic battery," said Hillside Police Chief Joseph Lukaszek.
"She appears to be OK. She refused medical treatment. We offered medical treatment and to transport her to the hospital, but she refused that."
This is not the first time Hardiman has been charged with domestic battery.
Court records show a 1999 charge in which an order of protection was issued.
Hardiman pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year of court supervision. The order of protection was later dismissed.
Hardiman's Cease Fire organization works to intervene between rival gang members to prevent gun violence in the city's most dangerous neighborhoods.
The group receives state funding to conduct its work, according to Hardiman's bio on the Cease Fire website. It also received a $1 million grant from the City of Chicago last year.
Hardiman grew up in the CHA's Henry Horner homes, and witnessed the devastation of gang violence first-hand. That experience led him to work to stop gang-related shootings in the city.
