‘What would you do if I beat you with this bat?’ Chicago woman accused in Northwest Side attacks held on $800,000 bond.

Deanese Williams-Harris, Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune
Updated ·2 min read
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In the span of a couple of days, a 26-year-old Chicago woman assaulted multiple women at random, at times striking them with a metal baseball bat, lurching her car in their direction and dragging them by the hair, Cook County prosecutors alleged Thursday at a bond hearing.

Denise Solorzano is facing multiple felony charges of aggravated battery and assault in connection with a string of attacks on the Northwest Side between Sunday and Tuesday. Cook County Judge Maryam Ahmad ordered her held on an $800,000 deposit bond, saying the high bail was necessary, in particular, to “protect the safety of women and children.”

“Sometimes people come before the court with such serious crimes and impose such a serious danger to the community that they must have a substantial bond,” Ahmad said.

Around 3 p.m. Sunday, Solorzano, while driving a sedan, pulled up to a woman and began to “yell about beating her a—,” according to Assistant State’s Attorney Sarah Dale-Schmidt. Solorzano got out of the car, punched the woman until she fell and dragged her by the hair, Dale-Schmidt alleged.

Later, prosecutors alleged, she ran up to two people and said, “What would you do if I punched you in the face?” before attacking them.

Solorzano drove away as police arrived, but officers noted the license plate, prosecutors said.

Solorzano later approached two adults, including a mother pushing her baby in a stroller, prosecutors said. She asked, “What would you do if I beat you with this bat?” and then attacked them with the bat, according to Dale-Schmidt.

Prosecutors also alleged that Solorzano attacked two other people with the bat, and drove her car toward a woman multiple times as the woman attempted to cross a street.

Detectives traced the car to Solorzano, and some of the victims identified her in a photo array, prosecutors said.

An attorney representing Solorzano said she has “significant mental health issues.” Solorzano lives with her mother and has one child, her attorney said.