Joliet man accused of attacking mother with broomstick: cops

A Joliet man who was reportedly bothered by a woman riding bicycles with her two children was suspected of attacking her with a broomstick, police said.

At 12:19 a.m. Friday, James Gardner, 27, was arrested and booked into the Will County jail in connection with the incident. His bond has been set at $150,000.

Gardner’s arrest stemmed from a report of an aggravated battery at 10:33 p.m. on Sept. 9, in the 400 block of Kungs Way, said Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English.

When officers responded to the scene, they determined a woman was riding bicycles with her two children in the neighborhood when Gardner yelled out at her to be quiet, English said.

When the victim turned around, Gardner was accused of striking her in the head with a plastic broomstick multiple times and then punching her while she was on the ground, English said.

The children ran from the area during the attack, English said.

Officers met with Gardner at a residence in the 700 block of Bethel Drive, English said. He allegedly admitted to beating the woman and was arrested, he said.

English said it appears to the police that Gardner’s attack was random.

The woman suffered a laceration to her left eyebrow, a swollen face and abrasions to her legs, English said. Paramedics responded to the scene but the woman declined transport to the hospital, he said.