Slur, Badmouthing Marines, Threat to 'Shoot You in the Face' Led to Councilman Larry Hug Getting 'Bitch Slapped' - Witness

JOLIET, IL — A man at the bar the night Larry Hug was slapped and bloodied said the city councilman was “talking s--- about everything and everyone,” called him a “spic,” ripped on the Marines, and mocked Channahon’s last two mayors.

“He went too far with his comments and he got bitch slapped,” Channahon businessman Carlos Tinoco said of Hug, who got slapped by Joliet real estate agent Mark Koenig at the Double J Sports Bar — “Joliet's Favorite Westside Neighborhood Bar!”— March 31.

Tinoco said Hug was already hanging out with Koenig, Will County Board member Annette Parker and Parker’s husband, Brian Parker, who works for the county’s land use department, when he arrived at the Double J.

Tinoco said he bought shots of Crown Royal for Hug, Koenig and Brian Parker, and then joined them in the bar. Soon after, an argument escalated and he pulled Koenig into the bar’s smoking enclosure — but they couldn’t get away from Hug for long.

“Not even half a cigarette later, here comes Larry busting out the back door, (saying) ‘I Will shoot you in the face and beat you like you’re 12 years old,'” Tinoco said.

Bar surveillance video from that night shows Koenig, 46, entering the smoking enclosure followed by Brian Parker, Tinoco and then Annette Parker. Hug, 52, enters seven minutes later.

Hug did not actually shoot or beat anyone, Tinoco said, but shared his opinions on — among other things — the Rialto, the military, the national political landscape, Joliet’s supposed superiority to Channahon, and his disdain for both former Channahon Mayor Joe Cook and current Mayor Missey Schumacher.

“The Rialto was like 10 percent of our conversation,” Tinoco said, telling how, at one point in the dialogue, Hug told him to “go back to your fatass Mayor Joe Cook.”

Tinoco recalled telling Hug it was a “shame” he did not realize that Schumacher was now the mayor of Channahon. He said Hug then called Schumacher a “f---ing sorority girl.”

Tinoco admitted that he “did call (Hug) a fatass and I did say he was probably going to vote for Trump” before deciding he’d had enough and heading for a portable toilet. As he walked off, Hug grabbed his arm, Tinoco said, and he pulled away. That was when Hug called him a “f---ing spic,” he said.

When Tinoco emerged from the toilet, he saw Hug was bleeding from his nose onto his shirt. He recalled telling Hug that involving the police was a bad idea, as “Patch (will) get a hold of it.” He said Hug told him, “Any publicity is good publicity.”

Tinoco said he later learned Koenig slapped Hug after the councilman made a negative remark about the Marines.

“What got Mark going was he said something about the Marines and Mark’s dad is a Vietnam vet,” he said.

Koenig was arrested eight days later on a charge of battery. Will County Chief Judge Richard Schoenstedt appointed a special prosecutor to the case.

Tinoco said he relayed all of this information to the police in interviews. Tinoco’s name — as well as everyone else’s name but Koenig’s — has been blacked out of police reports released to the public. All of the statements made by Tinoco — and everyone else involved — have been redacted as well.

Hug denied saying anything attributed to him by Tinoco.

“I can tell you out of hand the allegations you told me he said are untrue,” Hug said. “I can’t comment further about the details. I haven’t even heard from the state’s attorney or the special prosecutor about what’s going on with this.”

Annette Parker declined to discuss the matter Monday. Her husband refused to comment after Patch obtained surveillance video of the slap.

Tinoco said he agreed to speak with Patch because he was frustrated by the lack of transparency and by the false accounts of what actually transpired swirling through the community.

“I keep getting asked what happened and I just wanted to clear everything up,” he said. “There’s been a lot of rumors and I wanted to give you my account of that evening and things that were said. He should hold himself to a higher standard because he is an elected official.”