Army vet gets 3 years in prison for punching security guard

An Army veteran who did two tours of duty in Afghanistan was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison for punching out security guard and grandmother Zoa Stigler outside a River North apartment building in 2017.

Matthew DeLeon, who received a less-than-honorable discharge from the Army after he was charged in the assault, pleaded guilty to aggravated battery in a deal with prosecutors that was finalized at a hearing at the Cook County Courthouse in Skokie.

DeLeon slugged Stigler after she approached him as he vomited after a night of drinking outside the building at 630 N. Franklin St. — an incident that was captured on surveillance video and quickly went viral on the internet.

DeLeon fled the scene, but turned himself in two days later, after seeing video himself on the news. Defense attorney Richard Fenbert said Wednesday DeLeon did not remember hitting Stigler. Stigler suffered broken bones in her face, but was cleaning up DeLeon’s vomit when an ambulance arrived.

DeLeon had no criminal history and was a decorated combat veteran, added. DeLeon, who has suffered from mental health and drinking problems, expressed remorse for hitting Stigler, Fenbert said.