Teenager pleads guilty in Detroit mob beating

DETROIT - A teenager has pleaded guilty in the Detroit mob beating of a motorist who accidentally struck a child with his pickup.

Bruce Wimbush admitted Monday that he punched Steve Utash once in the jaw during the April attack on the city's east side. Utash, 54, was seriously hurt in the attack.

The 18-year-old Wimbush told Wayne County Circuit Judge James Callahan that he "got emotional" after seeing Utash hit the 10-year-old boy who stepped in front of his truck. The boy suffered a broken leg.

Wimbush pleaded guilty to assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder - a reduction from the original charge of assault with intent to murder, reports CBS Detroit. He faces up to 10 years in prison when he's sentenced July 7.

Under a deal with county prosecutors, Wimbush, who reportedly has no prior criminal record, agreed to testify against others.

CBS Detroit reports Wimbush was released on a $20,000 bond Monday on the condition that he wear a GPS monitoring system.

Three fellow defendants, 19-year-old Latrez Cummings, 24-year-old James Davis and 30-year-old Wonzey Saffold have pretrial hearings scheduled for Thursday.

Cummings, Davis and Saffold are charged with assault with intent to murder and assault with intent to do great bodily harm, according to the station.

A 16-year-old boy is also charged in the case, but his name is being withheld since he is being tried as a juvenile. He faces assault and ethnic intimidation charges as it's alleged that the attack was racially motivated. Utash is white and his alleged attackers are black. The 16-year-old is scheduled to appear in court next Monday.