Police: St. Charles man breaks hip after being punched in taco restaurant lot

A 35-year-old St. Charles man has been arrested and charged with punching a 70-year-old man - causing him to fall and break his hip - in the parking lot of a taco restaurant in St. Charles.

Brandon F. Bruhn, of the 1900 block of Moore Avenue, faces felony counts of aggravated battery in a public place, the most severe being aggravated battery causing great bodily harm to a victim 60 or older, and two counts of misdemeanor battery stemming from the attack outside the Jalapeño Grill, 602 Geneva Road.

St. Charles Deputy Police Chief Erik Mahan said authorities were called to the area at 12:11 p.m. Friday for the altercation that began when the victim tried to pull into the restaurant parking lot and Bruhn's vehicle was blocking the way.

"There was some honking and words exchanged," Mahan said.

Bruhn eventually backed up and let the man pull into the lot, Mahan said. Both men got out of their vehicles and Bruhn punched the older man in the face, causing him to fall and fracture his hip, Mahan said.

Bruhn drove off, but a witness wrote down Bruhn's license plate number and gave it to the restaurant manager, who called police, Mahan said. Officers went to Bruhn's house, where Bruhn - listed in court records at 6 feet, 2 inches and 275 pounds - admitted to striking the man but said it appeared the man was coming toward Bruhn, according to Mahan.

Paramedics took the victim, a St. Charles resident, to Delnor Hospital in Geneva for treatment, Mahan said.

Bruhn is free after posting 10 percent of $25,000 bail and is next due in court Friday. He is to have no contact with the victim or the victim's wife, records show.

If convicted of the most severe charge, Bruhn faces a punishment ranging from probation to up to seven years in prison.

It was not clear Wednesday whether Bruhn had retained a defense attorney.