Suspect to appear in court in attack on firefighter outside South Side Chicago church

A judge was set to decide Thursday whether the man charged with attacking a firefighter in Chicago's Grand Crossing community will remain behind bars.

Lamar Brown, 32, was unable to appear in court on Tuesday because he was still in the hospital. He was to appear Thursday in South Felony Court (Br. 38).

Brown was charged with one felony count each of aggravated battery and aggravated assault on a peace officer or firefighter. He was wanted on a warrant, police said.

Brown was arrested at 11:44 a.m. Sunday outside True Light Baptist Church, 7300 S. Maryland Ave., following a confrontation with a police officer and a firefighter.

As a Sunday service ended at Grand Crossing Baptist church, the crowd stood outside and spotted a shirtless man and called 911 for help. A witness recorded a lone police officer on the scene with a stun gun.

Police said the officer tried to de-escalate the situation, but Brown ignored the officer.

The man identified by police as Brown then charged at a firefighter on scene. As seen on video, the officer fired the stun gun to no avail before the firefighter used a metal bar to knock the suspect out.

The video later shows the suspect up and alert. More officers arrive, and he is cuffed and taken into custody to receive medical treatment.