3 Chicago Teens Charged With Hate Crime, Allegedly Put Noose Around Victim's Neck

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jan 26, 2012 7:53PM

Here's your "what is wrong with humanity?" post for the day. Chicago Police have charged three teens with a hate crime for allegedly attacking an African American youth at a home on the city's South side last month. The alleged culprits range in age from 16 to 18.

The victim, Joshua Merritt, knew one of his supposed assailants as a fellow student at Brother Rice High School. Merritt went to the home of one of the accused in the city's east Beverly neighborhood Dec. 23 and told police he had a noose put around his neck twice, was threatened with a knife and called a racial epithet before finally escaping.

18-year-old Matthew Herrmann of suburban Alsip was charged as an adult with a hate crime, unlawful restraint and misdemeanor battery. The other two, ages 16 and 17, face juvenile petitions for the same crimes, and the 16-year-old faces an additional charge of pulling the knife on the victim. Police said the attack stemmed from a relationship between Merritt and a cousin of the 16-year-old. Merritt told Fox Chicago News,

“He walks over to me, with the noose in his hand, he comes puts the noose around my neck and he begins to tighten the noose, almost strangled me to the ground.

...

“The same guy that put me to the ground earlier comes up to me with a knife from behind me,” Merritt said, “and said 'stop talking to my cousin, you're annoying her. If you don't stop I'm going to kill you.'”

Brother Rice High School is also investigating the attack.

Brother Rice Student Threatened with Noose, Victim of Hate Crime: MyFoxCHICAGO.com