Joliet Teen Attacks Restaurant Workers With Golf Club, Leaves 1 Severely Injured: Cops

A Joliet teen viciously beat a restaurant worker with a golf club and swung at two others before fleeing back to his home Saturday evening, police said.

Dennis Lee, 18, later explained that he was angry that someone had followed his niece earlier in the day, or something to that effect, police said.

Regardless of his motivation, Lee showed up at the Big Chill on Wilcox Street about 5:30 p.m. and started banging on the wall with a golf club, police said.

Three men working at the Big Chill went outside to see what Lee’s problem was and Lee bludgeoned one of them, a 32-year-old, in the head, police said.

The two other workers, ages 48 and 50, intervened to defend their colleague and Lee swung his club at them too, police said. He reportedly failed to connect and made his getaway in a green Honda.

Officers reportedly tracked the vehicle back to Frederick Street near Ingalls Avenue, which is the street where Lee lives. Lee was still in the car with a young woman when officers arrived, police said.

Lee was taken into custody. He reportedly told officers his 15-year-old niece had been at the Big Chill when someone either chased or bothered her in some way. There was no indication any of the three men working at the restaurant were involved in the supposed incident with Lee’s niece, police said.

Lee’s reported story about his niece did not dissuade officers from arresting him and taking him to the Will County jail.

The man Lee hit with the golf club was bleeding profusely from his head when officers found him, police said. He was taken to Presence St. Joseph Medical Center.