Man charged in beating of off-duty firefighter

Chicago, IL - A 20-year-old man was charged late Thursday with savagely beating an off-duty firefighter in Lincoln Park.

Brian Ruiz, 20, of the 2100 block of North Sheffield Avenue was charged with two counts of aggravated battery for the attack on Matt Jones on Wednesday morning, Chicago police said.

Ruiz was also charged with possession of a fictitious identification card. A second man was hit with misdemeanor alcohol charges, but was otherwise not involved in the assault, a police spokeswoman said.

Ruiz is accused of violently beating and stomping on Jones at about 4 a.m. Wednesday near Halsted Street and Dickens Avenue near Oz Park.

Jones suffered internal injuries and facial fractures, but his condition was upgraded to serious from critical at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center earlier this week. His condition was unknown early Friday.

Ruiz is expected to appear in court Friday morning.

The second man, Daniel Vanoni, 20, of the 6200 block of West Berenice Ave., was charged with misdemeanor underage drinking and displaying a false identification card, according to police.

Written by: William Lee