Library Patron Attacks 2 Employees, Sends One To Hospital: Police

WILMETTE, IL — Police said a homeless man who attacked a pair of Wilmette Public Library employees last week after he was asked to wear a face covering was arrested Sunday after he was found sleeping in the vestibule of a building.

George Seaberry, 26, was a frequent patron of the library, according to Wilmette police. But around 1 p.m. Friday, he began punching a 62-year-old employee, striking them repeatedly in the head and body soon after entering and being asked to don a face mask, police said.

Seaberry then pushed a second person, a 69-year-old library employee, to the ground before running away, police said.

Officers arrived at the library at 1242 Wilmette Ave. after Seaberry had fled, according to police. One employee taken to a nearby hospital for treatment for his injuries. The other was treated at the scene.

Shortly before 7:30 a.m. Sunday, police got a call of a person sleeping in the entrance of a building in the 1100 block of Greenleaf Avenue, according to police. Officers arrived and found Seaberry, who library employees had identified as the person who had battered them earlier.

Police said Seaberry, a former Evanston resident, was taken into custody and charged with three counts of aggravated battery — two counts aggravated by the age of the victim and one count by the fact it caused great bodily harm.

Seaberry appeared in court Monday, where a judge ordered him held at Cook County Jail in lieu of the $1,000 cash portion of his bail. He is due back in court Wednesday, according to the Cook County Sheriff's Office.