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Four people have been charged after video surfaced showing the beating of a man while people screamed "You voted Trump" at the man, police said Friday.
Julian Christian, 26, of the 2500 block of South 14th Avenue in Broadview, Dejuan Collins, 20, of the 9500 block of South Avalon Avenue in Chicago, Rajane Lewis, 21, of the 7800 block of South Euclid Avenue in Chicago, and a 17-year-old girl were charged with vehicular hijacking.
All four were taken into custody by the Chicago Fugitive Apprehension Union/Great Lakes Regional Task Force and district tactical teams on Thursday, according to police.
"Regardless of who you are or what you believe, there's no place for hurtful rhetoric that divides us or encourages unacceptable violence," Chicago Police Department spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi tweeted after the charges were announced.
David Wilcox, 50, said the incident began as a minor fender-bender in the 1100 block of South Kedzie Avenue in Chicago’s Homan Square neighborhood, just before 1 p.m. on Wednesday. He said a woman in a black sedan sideswiped him, but when he got out to approach her, "all hell broke loose."
"I came out very courteously and nicely," Wilcox said. "She was the first to throw a punch and I wasn't expecting that."
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Then, Wilcox said another woman and three men got out of the car and attacked him as well.
“The next thing I knew, I was getting hit from both sides,” he said. “They made a coordinated attack on both sides and started hitting me.”
According to Wilcox, no one stepped in to help, and instead about 20 people at the busy intersection incited his assailants.
"I heard a lady yell something about ‘that guy is a Trump supporter,’ and I turned to her and said, ‘This is between me and her, it has nothing to do with you,'" Wilcox said.
Bystanders continued to chant things like "you voted Trump" and "don't vote Trump," he added.
Footage of the attack posted online Wednesday night showed a group of men, possibly teens, throwing a man to the ground and repeatedly punching and beating him.
“When they yelled about Trump, it got really violent,” Wilcox said. Then, one of the offenders hopped in the driver’s seat of his car and took off, as seen in a longer version of the video also shared to social media, dragging Wilcox several blocks from the scene.
“He was swerving, trying to get me to get off,” Wilcox said, adding that the car was going between 70 and 80 mph. “I knew if I let go, then I was dead. I squeezed as hard as I could.”
The moment the driver slowed down, Wilcox dropped, uncontrollably rolling, but alive. He was then taken to Mount Sinai hospital for treatment.
“I have all kinds of lumps back here,” Wilcox said. “My body is badly hurting.”
“To me, they were cowards. One-on-one is a different story,” he added. “I’m not a violent person. I’m 50, I don't try to get into confrontations with people.” [[400704971, C]]
