5 Charged In Tinley Park Restaurant Attack; 2 Victims Also Accused Of Crimes
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (STMW) -- Five Indiana men have been charged with felony mob action for their roles in an attack Saturday on a group dining at a south suburban restaurant. Two members of the group, meanwhile, were charged with unrelated crimes.
Bonds were set ranging from $175,000 to $250,000 for the five men on Monday at the Bridgeview courthouse, the SouthtownStar is reporting.
Charged were John Tucker, 26, of Martinsville, Ind.; Cody Sutherland, 23, of Bloomington, Ind.; Dylan Sutherland, 20, and Jason Sutherland, 33, both of Gosport, Ind.; and Alex Stuck, 22, of Bloomington, Ind., Cook County State's Attorney spokeswoman Sally Daly said.
Jason Sutherland's was ordered held on a $250,000 bond; Cody Sutherland on $200,000; and the other three on $175,000 each.
A public defender asked for a "reasonable" bond for the five men, but Cook County Circuit Court Judge Terence B. Smith noted the attacks were unprovoked and the perpetrators wore masks.
Two members of the attacked group were charged with unrelated offenses, Tinley Park police said. Steven Eugene Speers, 33, of Grand Forks, N.D., was arrested on a Texas warrant for possession of child pornography. Francis John Gilroy, 65, of West Palm Beach, Fla., was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon.
Mayor Ed Zabrocki said he was shocked by the disturbance in his community.
"It's either something out of far-left or far-right field," he told CBS 2's Mike Parker Monday.
More charges against the attackers may be filed later, pending further investigation, Cook County State's Attorney's office spokeswoman Sally Daly said. Their next court date is June 12.
"There are a lot of people we're still talking with," she said.
They are charged with mob action, aggravated battery and criminal damage to property for the attack took place at The Ashford House, 7959 W. 159th St. in Tinley Park about 12:45 p.m. Saturday.
The offenders fled in three vehicles. One vehicle containing the five men was caught about five minutes later at 159th Street and Harlem Avenue, about a mile from the restaurant.
Police found evidence in the vehicle, including two expandable batons, a knife, a pair of gloves and several dark-colored hooded sweatshirts, prosecutors said.
Law enforcement sources on Sunday said the victims' group was made up of white supremacists, and those who assaulted them were protesters attacking their beliefs.
Tinley Park police said in a news release that a group of 15 to 18 people dressed in black entered the restaurant and started the altercation with a specific group of people. Approximately 10 people were injured, and three were taken to local hospitals.
Police believe this was an isolated incident and not a random act.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
