Career criminal pleads guilty in brutal Chicago Loop attack, avoids prison time

A man with a lengthy arrest record for random assaults in downtown Chicago has pleaded guilty in a violent attack that left a stranger permanently disfigured, but the case resolution will not require him to spend additional time in prison.

Court records show that Piere Thorne, 32, admitted guilt to one count of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm stemming from a December 2022 attack in the Loop, reports CWB Chicago.

The assault occurred around 9:45 am on December 8, 2022, in the 100 block of West Madison Street. Prosecutors said a 53-year-old man was walking through the area when Thorne picked up a metal object, possibly a pipe, from the ground and struck the victim from behind. The man, whom Thorne did not know, was hit in the back of the head and immediately collapsed onto the sidewalk.

Authorities said the victim suffered severe injuries, including the loss of multiple teeth, fractures to his face and jaw, damage to his nose, lacerations to his chin and scalp, and an injury to his left eye. Prosecutors said the man required several reconstructive surgeries and was left with permanent facial disfigurement.

Investigators identified Thorne after reviewing Chicago Police Department surveillance footage from the area. Images of the suspect were compared with Secretary of State records, leading detectives to include Thorne in a photo lineup. A witness later identified him as the attacker, according to court filings.

Prosecutors noted that Thorne had been arrested 57 times by the age of 30 and had accumulated several misdemeanor convictions. Many of those arrests involved unprovoked attacks on people in the downtown area.

Thorne resolved the case by entering a guilty plea rather than proceeding to trial. Joanne Rosado sentenced him to four years in prison for the aggravated battery conviction.

However, court records show Thorne received credit for 752 days already spent in jail. With Illinois’ standard 50 percent sentencing credit applied, the sentence was considered satisfied, meaning Thorne will not serve additional prison time.