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Man Charged With Hitting Officer At Protest Held On $10K Bond

CHICAGO (STMW) -- A protester accused of hitting a Cook County correctional officer in the face with a tree branch during a demonstration outside the jail was ordered held on $10,000 bond Wednesday.

Alexander Cachinero-Gorman, 30, of Little Village, was arrested Monday night and charged with one count of aggravated battery, Cook County Sheriff's office spokesman Frank Bilecki said.

On Wednesday, Judge Donald Panarese ordered Cachinero-Gorman held on a $10,000 bond, Cook County State's Attorney's office spokesman Andy Conklin said.

Bilecki said Cachinero-Gorman posted the required $1,000 bond and will be released Wednesday night.

Cachinero-Gorman was one of about 50 protesters who gathered in front of the Leighton Criminal Court Building in the 2600 block of South California Avenue about 7:15 p.m. Monday to protest "the jailing of people," Bilecki said.

The demonstrators marched up and down California Avenue chanting, "Free the people," playing musical instruments and banging pots and pans to try to get inmates' attention, Bilecki said.

The protestors turned onto 31st Street and began violently shaking a perimeter fence outside Building 1, a pre-release facility on the jail complex, Bilecki said. Police stepped between the group and the fence and Cachinero-Gorman allegedly hit a correctional officer in the face with a large stick or tree branch with a black flag tied to the end of it.

Cachinero-Gorman, a Spanish national, was arrested without incident, Bilecki said.

The branch left large scratches on the officer's face, but he did not have to be taken to a hospital.

The protest later dissipated after the group marched back to the criminal court building, Bilecki said. The group did not claim any affiliation with other larger protest groups.

However, Occupy Chicago issued a statement Wednesday calling the charges "bogus." The group claims the protest turned "unnecessarily violent when Cook County sheriffs attacked protesters."

Occupy Chicago noted prisoner support groups also demonstrated at the Metropolitan Corrections Center and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement buildings without incident earlier that day.

Cachinero-Groman will face a preliminary hearing Jan. 7 in West Felony court at 3150 W. Flournoy St.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2013. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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