In a disturbing incident that has reignited concerns about public safety, a Chicago man with a lengthy arrest record is once again in the spotlight after being charged with assaulting a doctor in a hospital elevator.
Sean Popps, aged 39, was apprehended last month following an alleged attack on a physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Streeterville campus parking garage, as reported by CWB Chicago.
The incident took place on November 2nd at approximately 1:39 p.m., when a 42-year-old cardiologist stepped into an elevator at the hospital located on 236 East Huron Street. Prosecutors revealed that Popps trailed the doctor into the elevator and launched an unprovoked attack, striking her repeatedly on the head. The violence forced her to retreat, shielding her face with her hands.
Police reports indicate that the victim had no previous interaction with Popps before the assault, reinforcing the seemingly random nature of the attack.
According to records obtained by Fox News Digital, Popps has been arrested a staggering twelve times in Chicago since the beginning of 2025. The frequency of his encounters with law enforcement poses critical questions about gaps in the system’s ability to manage repeat offenders.
The vicious assault left the physician with several injuries, including bruises, hematomas, and abrasions on her face, head, arms, and hands, adding to the growing concerns about safety in public spaces, even those as seemingly secure as hospital facilities.
Following the incident, a Northwestern hospital security guard recognized Popps from surveillance footage of the attack and pointed authorities to “approximately 30 plus prior incidents at the hospital where [Popps] had to be removed” from the facility, according to the outlet.
Additionally, another officer at the hospital reportedly recalled having “incidents with [Popps] approximately two times a day over the last 19 months.”
The majority of Sean Popps’ alleged crimes have taken place at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, according to CWB Chicago. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Since the start of 2025, Popps has been arrested a dozen times, with the majority of alleged crimes transpiring on or near Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Streeterville campus, CWB Chicago reported.
He was also reportedly arrested seven times in 2024, again with most of the instances taking place on or near hospital grounds. Records indicate Popps was arrested at the facility twice in 2020, twice in 2021, once in 2022 and once in 2023, according to the outlet.
Fox News Digital was unable to immediately locate an attorney representing Popps.
Sean Popps is accused of assaulting a doctor inside an elevator at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. (iStock)
At the time of his most recent arrest, Popps was on pretrial release for allegedly trespassing at a local residential building in October and attempting to escape from the police station after being taken into custody, CWB Chicago reported.
The Cook County State Attorney’s Office and Northwestern Memorial Hospital did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Popps is charged with aggravated battery in a public place and remains in custody at the Cook County Jail, according to police records obtained by Fox News Digital.
