A group of 11 Chicago-area teenagers have been charged with felonies, including hate crimes, for allegedly using a dating app to lure two men and then beating them in an act inspired by a social media trend, police said. .
The Mount Prospect Police Department said the suspects, who remain unidentified because they are all minors, were involved in two separate attacks on the night of July 8. press release.
The first victim, a 41-year-old man, came to the police station around 9:45 p.m. and said he had been beaten by a group of male teenagers earlier in the parking lot at 606 West Northwest Highway. did. night.
The man said he had arranged to meet someone on a dating app at the location, but was verbally and physically assaulted by the group of teens, who also damaged his vehicle upon arrival.
The victim reported that the group chased him in a car before the man fled, and they were eventually able to get away.
Less than 10 minutes after the 41-year-old man arrived at the station, Mount Prospect responded to a similar call of a 23-year-old man being assaulted in the 400 block of Sea Gown Avenue, according to the release. Police officers responded.
Upon arrival, the second victim told police he was trying to meet up with someone he met on a dating app when a group of teenagers punched him and damaged his car.
The man said one of the teens slashed his tire while being verbally abused and assaulted.
The victim said he was able to get back in his car and drive to a nearby residence where he asked residents to call 911.
He was taken to the hospital, but his injuries are not life-threatening.
In the ensuing investigation, police identified 11 suspects after reviewing surveillance footage of the incident at 606 West Northwest Highway.
“The investigation also revealed that one of the offenders yelled a racial slur and another derogatory term during the incident, which resulted in the juvenile offender being charged with two additional hate crimes. ,” police said.
The juvenile suspects were all charged with aggravated assault, criminal damage to property, and mob action, voluntarily turned themselves in to authorities in November, and were transferred to the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center in Chicago.
Police did not say what slurs were shouted during the incident or what apps were used to lure the men, but said, “Some of the teenage offenders Some people came up with the idea through a viral trend on social media they saw.”
Mount Prospect Police Chief Michael Eterno said, “These incidents are an opportunity for parents to talk with their teens about the seriousness of actively participating in these types of trends seen on social media.'' I am asking you to do so.”
