Seven people have been charged after a man who refused to flash a gang sign was attacked with a machete Monday morning at a Brown Line station in the Northwest Side Albany Park neighborhood.
A group of attackers went up to two men, ages 17 and 26, around 12:35 a.m. Monday at the Kedzie station and told them to flash gang signs, authorities said.
The men refused, saying they were not in a gang, police said.
Police say Mario Elvira, 18, then pulled out a “cutting instrument” and struck the 26-year-old in the head, leaving him with cuts to his head and neck. A source said the weapon was a machete.
The victim was taken to Swedish Covenant Hospital where his condition has stabilized, police said.
Elvira, of the 5300 block of West Foster, and three other men are charged with one count each of robbery, aggravated battery and trespassing on CTA property, police said.
The other three men charged were Jean Salvatierra, 23, of the 4800 block of West Belle Plaine; Kevin Ramirez, 19, of the 1300 block of West Rosedale; and Kevar Preston, 20, of the 3600 block of West Cullom.
Three 15-year-olds — two boys and a girl — were also charged with trespassing on CTA property, police said. One of the teens was also charged with aggravated assault. Their names were not released because of their ages.
The adults were expected to appear for a bond hearing Tuesday, but court information was not immediately available.
