Suburban man kicked open woman's apartment door at random, slammed her head against cabinet: prosecutors
Abelardo Zapata
DuPAGE COUNTY, Ill. - Pre-trial release has been denied for a suburban man accused of breaking into a woman's apartment and beating her Monday morning.
Abelardo Zapa, 33, of unincorporated Willowbrook, is charged with one count of home invasion, one count of robbery of a victim over 60 years of age and one count of aggravated battery, causing great bodily harm to a victim over 60 years of age.
At about 8:03 a.m., Willowbrook police officers responded to the victim's apartment for a call of a man, later identified as Zapata, who allegedly broke into her home and beat her.
When officers arrived, they located the victim, who is over 60 years of age, with visible red marks and blood on her face, prosecutors said.
The victim was transported to an area hospital, where she received eight stitches on the top of her head.
While investigating, police discovered that Zapata was allegedly at the apartment complex walking around with another tenant to her apartment, when he kicked in the door to the victim's apartment and entered.
Once inside, Zaparta allegedly attacked the woman and struck her in the face.
After striking the woman in the face, Zapata allegedly grabbed her head and slammed it against a cabinet. He also allegedly took her cell phone and fled the scene.
The victim was able to call 911 from another phone.
Zapata was taken into custody without incident a short time later from a McDonald's that was about a block away.
"The allegations that for no apparent reason, Mr. Zapata kicked in the front door of an innocent woman’s apartment and then severely beat her are shocking," Berlin said. "A person’s home is their sanctuary and people have every right to feel safe in their homes. Mr. Zapata’s alleged actions destroyed this victim’s feeling of safety and security. I sincerely hope that the victim in this case has a speedy recovery from her physical injuries and I wish her the best as she is now forced to cope with the psychological harm allegedly caused by Mr. Zapata."
Zapata's next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 11.