Chicago woman charged with attacking others with bat found not guilty by reason of insanity
A Forest Glen woman charged with attacking 10 other women at random with a baseball in 2023 was found not guilty on Wednesday by reason of insanity.
Denise Solorzano, 28, was charged with four felony counts of aggravated battery in a public place, four felony counts of aggravated battery with the use of a deadly weapon, and two counts of aggravated assault with a motor vehicle. She had no previous criminal record prior to the incidents.
She was arrested on May 10, 2023, after attacking the victims, ages ranging from 19 to 33, with a baseball bat in the Albany Park and Irving Park areas. One of the attacks involved a woman who was pushing a stroller.
During her initial court appearance, the defense said Solorzano suffered from serious mental health issues. A health care order entered into court records indicated that she suffers from schizophrenia.
She is due to appear back in court on April 8.
Timeline of 2023 bat attacks
The first attack happened on May 7 in the 4200 block of North Richmond Street. Police said the attacker pulled up in a white car and attacked a 33-year-old woman before fleeing.
Prosecutors said Solorzano yelled at the woman about "beating her a**" when she pulled up in the car. She then got out of the car and punched the woman in the head and face four times, causing the victim to fall to the ground. Solorzano then kneed her in the side and then grabbed the victim by the hair, and dragged her down the street.
Less than an hour later, two more women were attacked in the 4000 block of West Lawrence Avenue. The women, ages 19 and 31, were near the sidewalk when the Solorzano pulled up in the white car and said, "What would you do if I punched you?"
The women attempted to walk away, but one of them was grabbed by the hair, pulled her, and punched her three times before shoving her to the ground, prosecutors said.
The victim hit her hip, elbow, and head on the ground and briefly lost vision and other senses, according to prosecutors.
Solorzano then stood over the woman and punched her in the head again. When the second woman tried to help, she was also punched in the face, grabbed by the hair, ripped out a chunk, and pulled to the ground. She kept trying to hit the woman, who blocked the punch, but then grabbed her by the hair again and started slamming her head into the sidewalk three or four times, prosecutors said.
As the women yelled for help, Solorzano heard police sirens, so she got in the car and drove away, prosecutors said. Police saw the attack in progress. They did not give chase of the vehicle as she ran a stop sign.
Two days later, on May 9, in the 4500 block of North Mozart Street, prosecutors said. She pulled up in the same white car next to two women, one of them with a 6-month-old baby in a stroller with her, and asked them, "What would you do if I beat you with this bat?"
She then got out of the car with a baseball bat in her hand and swung it at the woman with the stroller, hitting her in the hand. She hit the woman five to seven times in the arms and hands as the woman tried to protect herself. The victim with the stroller suffered bruising and swelling to both arms and severe bruising and swelling to her right thumb, according to Prosecutors.
Solorzano got back in the car and left after a nearby resident attempted to intervene.
Responding officers also learned that another victim was walking her dog around noon when she saw a white car pull up and move toward her. She managed to jump out of the way as the white car ran a red light. As she continued walking, Solorzano got out of the car with a bat in her hand at Cullom and Sacramento avenues. The victim tried to walk past Solorzano, but she blocked her path and said, "What would happen if I bashed you with this bat?"
The woman tried to leave but was blocked and threatened again before being hit in the back and shoulder. The victim tried to block the swings but got hit again in the elbow and arm.
A bystander ran toward the victim to help before Solorzano got back in her car and left.
Arrest followed multiple attacks
Officers also learned about a woman walking at Belle Plaine and Sacramento avenues who was almost hit by the same white car about six different times. Solorzano kept reversing in her car and almost hitting the woman, prosecutors said.
Eventually, the woman was able to cross the street when she ran into a second woman who was walking her dog, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said the first woman ran from Solorzano's car as Solorzano yelled at her about her ethnicity. She then pulled her car up in the alley next to the two women, got out with the bat in hand, and threatened to beat them both with it.
Solorzano then ran at the second woman and hit her in the arm and the top of the head. The victim also suffered bruising and swelling to her arm, head, and forehead.
Prosecutors said both women ran from the scene while Solorzano got back into her car and left again. The women said they noticed a pink crown bumper sticker on the white car.
Police also mentioned another incident prior to that where a 45-year-old woman was with her young daughter in the 4100 block of North Campbell Avenue when the white car pulled up, and Solorzano got out and began chasing the woman with the bat, eventually catching up to her and began hitting her with the bat, police said. The daughter was not hurt.
Five of the victims identified Solorzano by photos, and the car with the pink crown bumper stickers used in the attacks was captured on camera video on Lawrence Avenue.
The video above is from a previous report.
