Man robbed, pistol-whipped near UIC campus

CHICAGO (Fox 32 News) - A Chicago man said he was pistol-whipped and robbed while driving near the University of Illinois at Chicago campus on the Near West Side.

It happened in the 900 block of S. Damen Ave. at about 7:30 p.m. Thursday as the man, who spoke with Fox 32 News, but asked not to be identified, said he was at a stoplight on his way to work at the Jesse Brown VA.

”I saw a man standing on the corner (with) a cardboard sign," the man said of his attacker. "I leaned over to grab some change because he was right by my window. As soon as I turned to look at him, he had a pistol in my face."

The man demanded money.

"I begged and pleaded. I (said) I have two kids (and) I've got to get home to them," said the man, speaking Saturday as the bruise on his face was still visible. "I ended up giving him the wallet (and) the money in my car. Everything flashes before your eyes; you think about your kids at home; you think about your life."

That's when he said he was pistol-whipped. He said he noticed that the gun was loaded. His attacker got away with his wallet and $20, he said.

He quit his job, he said, after his wife asked him to because she did not want him to return to the area.He said he wanted his story to be a cautionary tale.

"It could have been a lot worse than it was. I could have not come home to family. This stuff really does happen. You can't be so trusting," he said.

He said he still plans on giving money to people in need on street corners. And he also said he plans on getting his FOID card.