A Chicago father and son are charged with attempted murder following an alleged rush-hour road rage attack in Uptown that required more than 20 stitches. Prosecutors said one of the individuals was already on felony pretrial release for burglary when the attack occurred.
Kenneth Menard, 61, and his son, Nicholas Menard, 37, have been charged with attempted first-degree murder, vehicular invasion, and multiple counts of aggravated violence, according to prosecutors. Nicholas Menard was already on pretrial release for felony burglary when the alleged attack happened, according to court records.
It began about 5:35 p.m. on August 16 when the 46-year-old victim was driving home from work and came to a red light at Clarendon and Irving Park Road. Surveillance video showed the Menards approaching him, Nicholas on a green 2003 Kawasaki Sport and Kenneth on a black 2018 Harley-Davidson, “aggressively revving their engines,” according to a detention complaint.
When the light turned green, the victim accelerated to escape, but the men pursued him until another red light at Montrose. Prosecutors claimed they approached the automobile from opposing directions, with Nicholas on the passenger side and Kenneth on the driver’s side. Nicholas allegedly broke the passenger window.
The victim opened the driver’s door and attempted to push Kenneth away. Nicholas then approached the driver’s side, grabbed a metal motorcycle foot peg, and allegedly whacked the victim in the head with it. Police later found the object at the location.
According to prosecutors, the victim temporarily lost vision and felt his skull had been shattered. His hearing aides had also fallen out. Fearing for his life, he took out his phone and photographed both men while yelling for assistance as spectators videotaped the incident. Kenneth allegedly snatched the phone and placed it in his back pocket, but the victim managed to retrieve it before the Menards escaped on their motorcycles.
Witnesses assisted the sufferer, who was brought to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center and given 20 to 25 stitches for a 6-centimeter laceration on his forehead.
Judge Ankur Srivastava held Kenneth Menard, citing his “multiple violent arrests,” including an aggravated battery case involving substantial bodily harm that was reduced to petty battery. Srivastava described the alleged incident as “brazen” because it occurred in public, with many witnesses openly filming it.
Judge James Murphy III held Nicholas Menard, who was on pretrial release for burglary at the time of the August 16 incident. According to a CPD report dated April 17, officers conducting surveillance in the 3700 block of North Halsted Street due to an increase in airbag thefts observed Nicholas Menard breaking the rear passenger-side window of a Honda SUV with his left elbow.
Menard allegedly attempted to remove goods from the truck before cops intervened and arrested him, according to the report. Once in detention, he allegedly told officers that he shattered the glass to steal a black Columbia jacket.
Nicholas Menard’s social media sites contain multiple posts indicating that he has worked for his family’s Lakeview-based locksmith business. He is the 11th individual accused of killing or attempting to kill someone in Chicago this year, all while awaiting trial on felony charges.
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