Hammond Incident Leads To Felony Battery Charge For Chicago Man Working On Home
Hammond- Chicago man Sergio Salazar, age 36, has been formally charged in Lake County, following a violent incident reported inside a Hammond residence on November 12, 2025.
Police were dispatched just before 1 p.m. to a home in the 2700 block of 173rd Street for a reported battery. A worker at the home told officers he was there to perform bathroom work and had brought Salazar with him as a “helping hand.” The worker reported that Salazar unexpectedly struck the homeowner and told officers Salazar suffered from what he described as “mental problems,” documents state.
When police made contact with Salazar outside the residence, he reportedly stated he is a diagnosed schizophrenic and had not taken his medication in several days. Salazar also told officers the man inside the home “didn’t seem right” and said that a voice he referred to as “cockroach” told him to do it. He added that “everything happened so fast.”
Inside the residence, the homeowner was found holding a towel over his head with blood on his hands. He told officers he had been sitting in a recliner in the living room when Salazar struck him on the side of the head with a wrench. Another individual inside the home reported that the homeowner came into the bedroom after the blow, and that the worker who accompanied Salazar removed a 10-inch Husky crescent wrench from Salazar’s possession.
Police documented blood inside the home, including on the floor leading into one of the bedrooms, and photographed a laceration on the top of the homeowner’s head. The wrench allegedly used in the attack was photographed and collected as evidence.
Salazar was placed into handcuffs, evaluated by medics due to his schizophrenia, and transported to the Hammond City Jail.
Charge filed November 14,2025:
• Battery By Means Of A Deadly Weapon – Level 5 Felony
Lodged in the Lake County Jail on November 13,2025.
