A man widely suspected of being one of Chicago’s so-called “Loop Punchers,” known for randomly attacking women downtown, was arrested again Thursday morning after police say he struck a woman in the face in River North—less than two weeks after he was released pretrial in another attack.
Chicago police said 37-year-old Derek Rucker was taken into custody around 11:08 a.m. in the first block of East Grand Avenue, about an hour after he allegedly punched a 44-year-old woman in the face, knocking her to the ground in the 500 block of North State Street.
Rucker, also known as Derrick Davis, Derrick Rucker, and Derek Davis, stands about 6’6″ tall and tips the scales at 250 pounds, officials say.
He was already on pretrial release for allegedly attacking a 23-year-old woman at the Loyola Red Line station on September 30, a case prosecutors have now upgraded to a felony. On that same day, police said, Rucker also attacked an on-duty Evanston police officer in the 300 block of Ridge Avenue.
Detectives have since tied Rucker to additional random assaults across the North Side. He is now charged in an October 8 attack on a 40-year-old woman in the 4600 block of North Broadway in Uptown, a September 21 attack on a 27-year-old woman in the 900 block of West Belmont Avenue in Lakeview, and the September 30 Loyola station incident in Rogers Park.
Rucker faces three counts of aggravated battery of a transit passenger, two counts of aggravated battery in a public place, and one count of aggravated battery of a peace officer.
Rucker was scheduled to appear in Cook County court Friday afternoon for a detention hearing.
Last week, social media accounts circulated video showing two men taunting and physically attacking Rucker because they recognized him as a “Loop Puncher.”
Young men confronts viral Chicago “Loop Puncher” who stands at 6’7” & walks around knocking out people in Chicago arrested over 20 times, A mom of 11 Kathleen Miles was knocked out cold, Northwestern University employee punched near Union Station,: Elbowed a 15-year-old girl… pic.twitter.com/I0eiRWYEn6
— Rain Drops Media (@Raindropsmedia1) October 3, 2025
Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans issued a warning to court staff last week that included a mugshot of Rucker and said he has a “repeated history of punching strangers” and is “colloquially known on [social media] as ‘The Loop Puncher.’” Evans also identified another man, William Livingston, as someone known to carry out similar attacks. However, Livingston has been in the Cook County Jail since August, after he allegedly attacked another woman in the Loop.
Original reporting you’ll see nowhere else, paid for by our readers. Click here to support our work.
