Baseball Bat Attack In Channahon: Judge Ewanic Releases Neighbor Arrested By Police
CHANNAHON, IL — A recent baseball bat attack upon two subdivision residents has resulted in felony aggravated battery charges for 45-year-old Channahon resident Jamel Brown, although Will County prosecutors were unsuccessful in their effort to keep Brown in the Will County Jail under the SAFE-T-Act.
Will County Associate Judge Derek Ewanic, a former high-ranking prosecutor at the Will County State's Attorney, ruled in favor of the felony criminal defendant and ordered Brown's release from the Will County Jail, jail logs reflect. Brown is charged with four crimes of aggravated battery and one count of aggravated assault and one count of battery.
Brown is accused of hitting one of his Channahon neighbors in the face and threatening to kill the same neighbor while holding a baseball bat. The criminal complaint indicates that Brown hit a different neighbor in the face with the baseball bat. The incident happened Sept. 22.
According to the prosecution's filing, on Monday, Sept. 22, around 4:45 p.m., Channahon police were called to the 24400 block of St. Paul Avenue for a report of a gunshot and 911 dispatchers alerted the officers that one of the neighbors was armed with a baseball bat.
At the scene, one of the Channahon victims told the officers that he just arrived home and was sitting in his car in his driveway when Brown stood along his property line and declared, "I am going to kill you, get out of your car you p****. I am going to end your life!" prosecutors revealed.
The neighbor noted there is only a 10-foot distance between their houses and a prior no contact verbal order had been given by Channahon police to Brown in the past. When the victim tried to get out of his car and grab his garbage cans, Brown made even more threats as another neighbor came down and asked Brown to go inside because he was disturbing the neighborhood and making a scene in front of the children, court documents show.
Suddenly, Brown grabbed his metal baseball bat and struck the second neighbor in the back of the head and then he struck him in the face with the bat, Will County's prosecutors noted. The victim and Brown both fell to the ground and began fighting. When the first neighbor tried to pull Brown off the intervening neighbor, Brown punched him in the face, court files show.
Moments later, Brown appeared to be choking the intervening neighbor, so the initial victim grabbed his gun and fired a single gunshot into the ground in order to stop Brown, prosecutors revealed. "Per video, this fight occurred on a public alleyway," prosecutors pointed out.
Channahon police spoke with Brown and the criminal defendant indicated that his neighbor came home and approached him in regard to Brown's son. The neighbor had previously asked Brown's son not to hit baseballs off his siding. During their argument, Brown claimed that the second neighbor approached and tackled him and that's when he used his baseball bat to swing at him.
As for Brown, he began yelling obscenities at Channahon police and everyone on the scene, and during his booking process, Brown shouted, "When you release me, I'm gonna kill this man. Y'all gonna see me again, I hope y'all don't think this shit is over. Y'all might warn him," prosecutors informed Judge Ewanic.
Prosecutors also noted that Brown complimented the neighbor he is accused of attacking with the baseball bat, informing the police that he "can take a f***** hit though. I can tell you that much, because I hit him with the bat hard."
The Will County State's Attorney's Office advised Judge Ewanic that several Channahon neighbors had to remove Brown from the victim in this fight. A portion of the incident was captured on a neighbor's nest camera where the arguing and swearing can be heard as well as the baseball bat striking the victim's head and the sound of the gunshot. Also, a young boy, about 5 years old, was outside in the driveway at the time of the fight and when the gun was fired.
"That same video also showed another young child riding his bicycle down the street just moments before the fight started," prosecutors revealed.
As for Brown, he is a familiar face for the Channahon Police Department. In 2024, Channahon police had him arrested for cruelty to animals and assault. In that crime, Sept. 27, 2024, Brown kicked a different neighbor's dog and he approached and threatened to harm the dog's owner, the criminal complaint noted. In May, Brown pleaded guilty to cruelty to animals and his second charge was dropped under the plea bargain. He was given 18 months of conditional discharge and "defendant shall not possess any companion animals. Brown must also attend and successfully complete an anger managment program,
