Hate Crime Charges Filed After ‘Reprehensible’ Video Shows Attack on Mentally Ill Man in Chicago
Authorities in Chicago charged four young African American adults with hate crimes Thursday after a video broadcast live on Facebook appeared to show them shouting obscenities about President-elect Donald Trump and white people while abusing a man authorities say has mental health problems.
The footage, which Chicago’s top police officer labeled “sickening,” quickly went viral online. In the shaky video, a terrified young white man in a gray hooded sweatshirt and dark pants is seen crouching in a corner, his wrists and neck bound with orange bands, his mouth taped shut. The assault went on for up to five hours, authorities said, and police found the victim — an unidentified 18-year-old from Crystal Lake, a city northwest of Chicago — wandering the streets “in distress.”
A young woman films as two young men slash the sleeves of his shirt with knives and take turns punching him, slapping him and stomping on his head. At one point, one man can be seen cutting the victim’s hair and scalp with a knife, and the victim is later shown bleeding from his injuries.
While the victim can be seen cowering with his back to the wall, another voice can be heard repeatedly shouting, “F‑‑‑ Donald Trump” and “F‑‑‑ white people.” The four apparent attackers are black, while the victim is white, police said.
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