A woman charged with attacking multiple people in broad daylight across numerous Northwest Side neighborhoods in Chicago, many of them while armed with a bat, appeared in court Thursday.
Denise Solorzano, 26, of Chicago, went before a judge as prosecutors detailed what happened during the incidents in which women were beaten with a bat, punched and, in one case, attacked with a vehicle.
Solorzano's defense said she suffers from mental health issues and has no criminal history. Her family, who left the courtroom in tears Thursday, told NBC Chicago she was diagnosed with schizophrenia and has sought treatment for years.
Still, a judge ordered Solorzano held on $800,000 bond, $100,000 for each victim she is charged with attacking. NBC Chicago reported additional victims may be involved in the case, but they were not included in the charges.
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Solorzano was charged this week with aggravated battery in a public place, aggravated battery with use of a deadly weapon and aggravated assault involving a vehicle.
According to officials, each of the attacks occurred during the daytime hours between Sunday and Tuesday, and took place in neighboring communities, including Albany Park, Ravenswood and Irving Park.
In each of the incidents, a woman driving a white sedan exits the vehicle and begins to batter the victims, all of whom were female, officials say. The attacker than flees the scene.
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In one of the attacks, cell phone video showed a woman with a bat violently attacking a woman walking with her young daughter in a stroller.
In another, the victim reported that the assailant physically assaulted and verbally threatened her.
“She was yelling at me ‘why are you looking at me?’ Go ahead and call the police!’ There were expletives,” the victim, still traumatized by her experience, told NBC Chicago.
“I took a step forward and she pulled me down by my ponytail to the ground,” she said. “She ripped my shirt and scratched the right side of my neck. Then she left.”
The victim says she was exercising near the Ravenswood Manor School at the intersection of Campbell and Wilson at approximately 2:30 p.m. Sunday when she was approached by a woman who had just gotten out of a white sedan.
That was when the suspect lunged at her.
The victim said she began to walk back around the school to get away from the scene, and that’s when she encountered the assailant a second time.
“She stopped and got out of her car again and came towards me,” she said. “And she was like ‘I’m not done with you.’”
The white vehicle used during the attacks is what linked Solorzano to the cases, prosecutors said, with multiple victims identifying it following the attacks. It was later discovered at Solorzano's parents' home with a bat inside.
The judge ruled Solorzano was a danger to herself and the community, stating that was why her bond remained high. The next court date is set for May 17.
