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Man Beaten To Death Over Stolen Skateboard In Romeoville

CHICAGO (STMW) -- A southwest suburban man was beaten to death with baseball bats Sunday morning after confronting a group of teens for stealing his son's skateboard several days earlier.

Police found Richard Pollack outside his home in the 400 block of Tallman Avenue in Romeoville about 2 a.m., Cmdr. Ken Kroll of the Romeoville Police Department said.

Pollack had confronted several teens about stealing his 17-year-old son's skateboard several days earlier. The group left, but later returned and attacked Pollack with bats, Kroll said.

Pollack, 55, was taken to Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 3:05 a.m., according to the Will County Coroner's office.

A 15-year-old boy has been charged with two counts of aggravated battery in connection with the attack, Kroll said. One of the boy's relatives, a 42-year-old man, is being held by police, but has not been charged, he said.

"The whole thing stems from an unreported theft a few days before the incident. That unreported theft is the catalyst where Pollack gets hit with a baseball bat," Kroll said. "It could have been handled better by reporting the incident to the police."

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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