Chicago aggravated batteries hit 5-year high; 3 in 5 victims are Black

Chicagoans reported the highest number of aggravated batteries through February in the past five years, with Black residents accounting for 3 in 5 victims.

Chicago saw a five-year high for aggravated batteries during the 12 months through February, with Black residents accounting for more than 3 in 5 victims.

Analysis of Chicago Police data shows residents reported 27,547 violent crimes from March 2024 through February 2025, the second most of the five-year period. The arrest rate for violent felonies rose to its highest level in that time.

The data also shows Black Chicagoans were the victims in 62% of aggravated batteries reported across the city through February. Black Chicagoans were 6.6 times more likely than white residents to be victims of aggravated battery.

Aggravated batteries and human trafficking incidents were the only violent crimes to increase during the past 12 months, with residents reporting 2,587 fewer felonies than through February of last year.

Robberies declined the most of any violent crime, with residents reporting 2,305 fewer cases than a year earlier.

As the city’s arrest rate for violent crime climbed to its second highest level, the arrest rate for aggravated batteries also rose to its highest level in the past five years. Still, only 21% of cases citywide resulted in an arrest.

This arrest rate drops even farther on the city’s South and West Sides, where only 19% of aggravated batteries ended in an arrest. The data shows 4 in 5 aggravated batteries occurred on the city’s South and West Sides, with the highest concentration in the Englewood neighborhood.

In most cases, aggravated batteries involve the offender making contact with the victim and inflicting a serious injury, using a deadly weapon to conduct the attack or harming a protected employee, such as a police officer or firefighter.

During the past year, these aggravated batteries have consistently peaked at midnight and reached their lowest levels at 7 a.m. Depending on what time the victim was attacked, the chances of catching the offender could fall even farther.

According to a Lincoln Poll in January, 2 of every 3 voters somewhat or strongly disapproved of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s handling of crime.

Regardless of whether Chicago can fix its crime problem with more cops or more social justice initiatives, it is clear Johnson should be addressing the city’s aggravated battery problem – actively and aggressively.