Santa assaulted in Chicago area amid crime wave: 'They're going to be on the naughty list'
Man dressed as Santa pelted with eggs in Chicago
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Santa may have some new names to add to his naughty list ahead of Christmas after at least two masked men assaulted jolly old St. Nicholas on the streets of a suburb that borders Chicago over the weekend as the Windy City grapples with a rise in violent crime.
Adam White has dressed up as Santa for the past four years, spreading holiday cheer and greeting shoppers outside his brother’s store in Oak Park, WBBM-TV reported.
CHICAGO MAYOR LORI LIGHTFOOT ASKS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR HELP FIGHTING CITY'S CRIME
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But as he stood at his corner on Saturday evening, White told the station that two grinches began pelting him with eggs.
"They just started throwing eggs at me, and it felt like some hard rocks or something – I don’t know," White said. "You know, they hit me in the face, threw some from back, from the front."
A man dressed as Santa was pelted with eggs on the streets of Chicago on Satuday evening, according to a local report. (iStock)
Video footage obtained by the station shows small white objects being thrown at White and bouncing off him as he tried to move away.
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White said that he wasn’t hurt and immediately called police. However, officers have been unable to locate any suspects.
"I know they’re going to be on the naughty list – whoever did it," White said.
The assault on Santa comes as the city faces a record number of violent crimes this year.
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Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday asked the federal government for help in combating the wave of violence.
"Keeping you safe is my priority — not one of, but the first and primary priority," the Chicago Tribune quoted Lightfoot as saying.
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"I wake every morning with this as my first concern and I push myself and all involved to step up and do more and better because we cannot continue to endure the level of violence that we are now experiencing," the Democrat said.