Man charged in Boystown stabbing held on $700,000 bond
Fri. July 8, 2011 3:02 PM by GoPride.com News Staff
darren hayes
Prosecutors: Man charged threw the first punch
Chicago, IL -
The man who was charged in connection with Sunday's brutal mob beating and stabbing in Boystown, that was all caught on tape, was ordered held in lieu of $700,000 Friday afternoon in Cook County.
Twenty-four-year-old Darren Hayes was the one seen on video throwing the first punch at the victim, prosecutors said.
He has been charged with one count of aggravated battery for the stabbing, but prosecutors said the charges will be upgraded to attempted murder when the case is brought before a grand jury.
Hayes turned himself in to Chicago Police when he learned detectives were looking for him in connection with the weekend stabbing at Halsted and Aldine that left a 25-year-old man in the hospital.
Two knives were found in Hayes' home.
Police credit the video posted on YouTube, which shows the victim being punched and kicked by nearly a dozen men, and social networking websites for assisting the investigation. Detectives used Facebook to identify Hayes' image in the video.
"Technology definitely played a big role because we definitely wouldn't have had the images without the people who recorded them," Belmont Area Sgt. Debra DeYoung said at a news conference Friday morning.
The video has stirred outrage in the North Side community, which is the central hub to Chicago's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The attack became the hot topic of discussion at Wednesday's CAPS meeting in Lakeview.
"I'd like to personally thank the Chicago Police Department for their diligent pursuit of this case and to our residents for assisting in the ongoing investigation," 44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney said in a statement released to ChicagoPride.com.
The victim is now out of the hospital after being treated for multiple stab wounds which resulted in a collapsed lung. He is in good condition.
In a phone interview with ABC7, the victim said that his attackers were strangers and the altercation began with a gay slur, though he believes they too were gay.
Police are not currently investigating the incident as a hate crime, but say the search for other suspects continues and additional arrests are expected.
"I understand that police will continue to work to identify the other individuals involved and make additional arrests," said Tunney. "I will continue to work with public and private institutions on providing additional resources and security in Lakeview during the late night hours."
Twenty-four-year-old Darren Hayes was the one seen on video throwing the first punch at the victim, prosecutors said.
He has been charged with one count of aggravated battery for the stabbing, but prosecutors said the charges will be upgraded to attempted murder when the case is brought before a grand jury.
Hayes turned himself in to Chicago Police when he learned detectives were looking for him in connection with the weekend stabbing at Halsted and Aldine that left a 25-year-old man in the hospital.
Two knives were found in Hayes' home.
Police credit the video posted on YouTube, which shows the victim being punched and kicked by nearly a dozen men, and social networking websites for assisting the investigation. Detectives used Facebook to identify Hayes' image in the video.
"Technology definitely played a big role because we definitely wouldn't have had the images without the people who recorded them," Belmont Area Sgt. Debra DeYoung said at a news conference Friday morning.
The video has stirred outrage in the North Side community, which is the central hub to Chicago's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The attack became the hot topic of discussion at Wednesday's CAPS meeting in Lakeview.
"I'd like to personally thank the Chicago Police Department for their diligent pursuit of this case and to our residents for assisting in the ongoing investigation," 44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney said in a statement released to ChicagoPride.com.
The victim is now out of the hospital after being treated for multiple stab wounds which resulted in a collapsed lung. He is in good condition.
In a phone interview with ABC7, the victim said that his attackers were strangers and the altercation began with a gay slur, though he believes they too were gay.
Police are not currently investigating the incident as a hate crime, but say the search for other suspects continues and additional arrests are expected.
"I understand that police will continue to work to identify the other individuals involved and make additional arrests," said Tunney. "I will continue to work with public and private institutions on providing additional resources and security in Lakeview during the late night hours."