7 Teens Charged in Videotaped Beating in Bridgeport Posted on YouTube: MyFoxCHICAGO.com
An eighth teen has been arrested in the mob beating of an Asian/American teen on Sunday, January 15, 2012. The eighth teen, who is 15-years-old recently moved to Arlington Heights with his 16-year-old brother, who is the other Arlington Heights suspect that was arrested last week.
After a video of a Chicago beating and robbery went viral on YouTube, the father of the only unmasked offender, turned his son Raymond Palomino in to Chicago police. Chicago police acted quickly to determine the identity of the other teens. In some situations, the teens’ parents were notified that the teens were identified as suspects.
The unmasked suspect, Raymond Palomino, 17, was charged as an adult; one of the teens, who is a female, was charged as a juvenile; and one of the teens, also charged as a juvenile, recently moved to Arlington Heights prior to the attack. The 15-year-old girl, who lured the victim into the alley to allegedly setup the attack, two 16-year-old boys, and three 15-year-old boys were cited in juvenile court Wednesday, January 18, 2012, with delinquency petitions before Judge Terrence V. Sharkey.
Wednesday, it was learned that one of the 16-year-old Bridgeport youths recently moved to Arlington Heights and is attending high school as a senior in the area. It was also learned that most of the teens, including the Arlington Heights teen, are Asian-American — like the victim. The suspects are charged with felony robbery, felony theft from a person, felony aggravated battery, and felony mob action. They are also charged with misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor theft. There is no explanation available why the younger Arlington Heights teen was not among the original suspects arrested.
The older Arlington Heights teen was the only teen in juvenile court present with a private attorney — George Sarikos, from a law office in the Bridgeport neighborhood that — according to advertising — specializes in immigration, real estate, bankruptcy, family law, personal injury, worker’s compensation, traffic/DUI, and criminal law.
Palomino’s attorney, Ilia Usharovich, said Raymond Palomino attends Kelly High School and has worked at Potash Bros. — a reputable, full-service Chicago grocer.
“As you can see, he can’t even look anybody in the face, because he’s embarrassed to be standing here.”
— Attorney Ilia Usharovich to Cook County Judge Israel Desierto.
Cook County Judge Israel Desierto ordered Palomino held on $100,000 during a Wednesday hearing. Palomino appeared wearing the same grey sweatshirt and jeans he wore during the attack. Defending attorney Ilia Usharovich, who’s request for a lower bond was rejected, called the bond “a spit in his [client’s] face.” Usharaovich has an office in Wheeling, Illinois and graduated from Glenbrook North High School. His ‘about page’ header publishes a quote from American Poet Robert Frost, “A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.”
The victim was beaten, stomped, kicked and hit from multiple sides as he was attacked. The victim was also put in a chokehold during the attack while Palomino allegedly removed a shoe from the victim’s backpack and used it to hit the victim repeatedly in the face.
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Google Street View of back alley near James Ward Public School in the Bridgeport neighborhood of 2800 South Princeton Avenue, Chicago.
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Map/Satellite view of neighborhood site of beating of male Asian/American teen on Sunday, January 15, 2012.
Going back to the 1800’s the Bridgeport neighborhood was a large settlement of Irish immigrants who worked on the Illinois and Michigan Canal. The Bridgeport neighborhood was also known as “Lithuanian Downtown” and the center of Lithuanian-American settlement in Chicago. Today, the neighborhood includes large numbers of Chinese-Americans and Mexican-Americans.
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