Chicago Police Officer Anthony Abbate was found guilty Tuesday of one count of aggravated battery in the beating of a female bartender that was caught on tape.
Abbate claimed he was the victim in the infamous February 2007 beating, saying bartender Karolina Obrycka pushed him first and he felt he was in danger. He acknowledged he was drunk at the time, and in the end, the judge didn't buy his story.
Abbate was previously indicted on 15 counts, including intimidation of a witness and aggravated battery. The felony conviction is the worst of the charges against him, and carries a sentence of anything from probation up to five years in prison.
The judge found that Obrycka used reasonable force as she pushed him to remove him from behind the bar at Jesse’s Short Stop Inn in the Northwest Side's Cragin neighborhood.
Abbate was the only witness called by the defense.
Surveillance video of the event was seen nationally following the beating and brought added pressure on the Chicago Police Department. Police Supt. Jody Weis has previously said he wanted Abbate fired. Now that he's been convicted of a felony, that's likely to happen.
