A South Side pastor has offered up a hefty reward to catch two men who severely beat a Catholic priest during a robbery at his South Side church.
Rev. Daniel Mallette suffered broken ribs and facial injuries during the assault early Tuesday morning in the rectory of St. Margaret of Scotland Church, on the 9800 block of South Throop Street, police said.
The 80-year-old woke up around 12:30 a.m. to find two men standing over him, demanding money. When he didn’t move quickly enough, police said the men dragged him from his bed, kicked and beat him in the head with a blunt object.
The suspects got away with $600 of the church's collection money.
In response, Father Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina's Church offered this week a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the suspects' arrests and convictions. Pfleger has offered similar rewards in the past to catch those behind South Side violence.
"They are cowards beating up an 80-year-old man," Pfleger said. “But his spirit is tough."
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, who attends St. Margaret of Scotland Church where Mallette was beaten, attested to the priest's strength.
"For someone who was just beaten as bad as he was, his spirits are good," said Dart.
Police continue to investigate the incident.
