"Anti-Racist" Tinley Park Restaurant Attackers Plead Guilty, Sentenced To 3-6 Years

By Amy Cavanaugh in News on Jan 5, 2013 8:00PM

The five Indiana men accused of attacking an alleged white supremacist group at a Tinley Park restaurant in May pleaded guilty to armed violence. They were accused of using baseball bats in the attack, which left 10 people injured. They received sentences yesterday that ranged from three and a half years to six years.

The Sun-Times reports that according to one of their attorneys, the men have already been in prison for more than seven months and "wanted to put the case behind them rather than go through a trial."

The men, Alex Stuck, 23, John Tucker, 26, and brothers Jason Sutherlin, 33, Cody Sutherlin, 24, and Dylan Sutherlin, 20, faced 37 charges, including armed violence and mob action. As part of a plea deal, they each pleaded guilty to three charges and the others were dropped.

A ruling was expected yesterday on whether the bats and batons found during a traffic stop could be used as evidence during a trial. Instead, the men's attorneys accepted the deal. They will be eligible to be released from prison after they've served half their time, and the 233 days they've already spent in prison will count toward their sentences.