Thread: Black Ill. teen accused of beating white youth over Trayvon

Apr 25, 2012

Black Ill. teen accused of beating white youth over Trayvon

By Michael Winter, USA TODAY Updated 42m ago

A black Chicago-area teenager has been charged with a hate crime for allegedly beating a 19-year-old white youth during a robbery because he was angry about the killing of Trayvon Martin, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Alton Hayes, 18, of Oak Park, was charged with attempted robbery and aggravated battery along with a hate crime, the Cook County state's attorney office said. He is being held on $80,000 bail.

A 15-year-old Chicago boy was charged with attempted robbery over the mugging, which happened about 1 a.m. on April 17 in suburban Oak Park. Police said the victim reported being hit multiple times on the head and shoulder area. The Tribune doesn't say whether the victim was badly injured.

"During the course of the investigation, we learned that the crime was related to the victim's race," Oak Park Police Commander LaDon Reynolds told the Tribune.

Reynolds would not say whether there was a connection to Trayvon Martin, the black 17-year-old killed in late February by George Zimmerman, who has been charged. But Cook County state's attorney spokesman Andy Conklin "said that "Hayes told the investigators that he was angry about the Martin shooting and decided to attack the victim because of his race," the Tribune writes.

Hayes has a May 11 court date.

Black Ill. teen accused of beating white youth over Trayvon

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