Burnett spent two years in prison for his participation in an armed robbery in 1981. According to the Chicago Tribune, Burnett drove two friends to Kankakee, where they stole $3,000 from a local bank. They also stole a car from a convenience store and kidnapped the driver at gunpoint. Burnett was arrested on charges of armed robbery, aggravated kidnapping, and armed violence. In a deal with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to armed robbery. In exchange, the two other charges were dropped.

On April 21, 2016, Burnett was assaulted by Rafhael Taylor outside of the Ward 27 office. The alderman told the Chicago Sun-Times that Taylor threatened to kill him and Mayor Rahm Emanuel in a visit to the office earlier on the same day. Taylor was arrested following the incident and charged with a felony count of aggravated battery to a government employee. Burnett did not require medical treatment following the assault and explained his state of mind to the Sun-Times: “ I’m a boxer, so I can take a punch...I’ve had busted lips and busted noses and black eyes just practicing in the ring, it’s not a big deal as far as the punch goes. The big deal for me is that somebody would be motivated enough to do that to me. ” —Walter Burnett (2016), Felony conviction (1981) Burnett spent two years in prison for his participation in an armed robbery in 1981. According to the Chicago Tribune, Burnett drove two friends to Kankakee, where they stole $3,000 from a local bank. They also stole a car from a convenience store and kidnapped the driver at gunpoint. Burnett was arrested on charges of armed robbery, aggravated kidnapping, and armed violence. In a deal with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to armed robbery. In exchange, the two other charges were dropped.