Hate Crime Charge Added Against Juvenile Accused of Beating Darien Man

The charges against a juvenile accused of beating a Darien man and reportedly calling him a terrorist have been amended to include a hate crime charge, which is a class 4 felony.

The hate crime charge was added Tuesday after “further investigation and the discovery of additional evidence,” according to the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office.

The Sikh Coalition’s legal team shared evidence and information Monday afternoon with the state’s attorney’s office ”that showed hatred to be the primary motivation behind the crime,” according to a statement from the organization.

The juvenile, a 17-year-old male, was originally charged Sept. 11 with five counts of aggravated battery.

“Crimes based on hatred or prejudices have no place in our society,” said DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin in a statement. “Any physical attack motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s pre-conceived bias against another individual based on race, religion, disability, ethnic origin or sexual orientation is a crime not only against the victim but against society as a whole. Anyone accused of such behavior will be vigorously prosecuted and held accountable for their actions.”

A future court date has not yet been set for the teenager.

A community rally and press conference scheduled for 11 a.m. Sept. 15 on the public sidewalk near 7329 South Cass Ave. in Darien will take place as scheduled.

“We are thankful that Robert Berlin and the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office have filed a hate crime charge in this case,” said the Sikh Coalition’s legal director Harsimran Kaur, in a statement. “For the Sikh American community, a formal hate crime charge was never about a harsher penalty, but instead prosecuting the crime for what it was. We can’t combat the problem of hatred against minority communities in America unless our elected officials and government agencies acknowledge that the problem exists.”