The couple brutally assaulted downtown Chicago by a large group of people, in a video that has since gone viral, recently got the chance to thank the good Samaritan credited for saving their lives.
On Sunday, Devante Johnson and Ashley Knutson embraced Lenora Dennis, just over one week after ushering the couple to safety during a troubling weekend in downtown Chicago.
“She saved us," Johnson said. "She calmed me down a lot. Because there's nobody else out there to calm down.”
The couple said they had just left Nordstrom on Saturday, April 15 and were walking through the Loop looking for a place to eat when they were caught up in a large group of teens and young adults. A now-viral video, originally posted by CWB Chicago, shows a large group of people viciously attacking the couple, punching and kicking both of them while stomping on Johnson’s head.
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"It's scary to get jumped, and that was a terrible thing to go through," Knutson said.
Dennis helped Johnson and Knutson get to safety that night. The couple decided they had to do something to thank her for stepping in.
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"It's just good to see her, you know, to know we have someone here because you know, I'm not from here, I don't have family here," Knutson said. "So, it feels like I still have someone to call if I need help for anything.”
One week after the incident and other chaotic scenes that played out the same night, a large group of faith leaders marched downtown to send a message to the young people who gathered.
In an appearance on MSNBC Sunday, Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson said he didn't condone what happened, but also talked about not demonizing young people and instead insisted on making an effort to invest in them.
“There is a direct correlation between youth employment and violence reduction," he said. "But we also have to invest in recreation, and activities that have to be made available within the neighborhoods of the city of Chicago.”
Dennis, meanwhile, is trying to offer more help to the young couple still trying to bounce back after the attack.
"I'm just wanting to come out and let them know that even after all of this is done... I'm still gonna be here want to help out," she explained.
Dennis is doing the best she can to help, because most of the couple's belongings, including their cell phones, were stolen during the attack.
