Man charged in Boystown stabbing, victim speaks out
Fri. July 8, 2011 6:11 PM by GoPride.com News Staff
rubin robinson is the man stabbed in boystown on july 3
photo credit // cbs2.com
Prosecutors: Man charged threw the first punch
Chicago, IL -
Rubin Robinson, the man stabbed during the brutal mob attack in Boystown on Sunday, told CBS 2, "I'm happy that I'm alive."
Twenty-five-year-old Robinson was walking with two friends on Halsted when he says someone in a passing group made an insulting comment. He responded and was then jumped, kicked and beaten by 15 people, in an attack that was caught on tape.
"When I got up, I realized I was stabbed," he told CBS 2 Chicago during an interview on Friday afternoon. (Watch the video on CBS 2 Chicago)
Robinson was stabbed multiple times, which resulted in a collapsed lung. He was released from the hospital Friday afternoon and is in good condition.
Twenty-four-year-old Darren Hayes was the one seen on video throwing the first punch at the victim, according to prosecutors. He was charged Friday with one count of aggravated battery in connection with the stabbing and ordered held in lieu of $700,000 in Cook County court.
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. Two knives were found at his home.
Police credit the video posted on YouTube and social networking websites for assisting in the investigation. Detectives used Facebook to match Hayes' photo with 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, race and racism became the hot topics at Wednesday's CAPS meeting in Lakeview.
Robinson, who is a third-year student at DePaul, told CBS 2 that he hopes gay African-American men in Boystown don't become targets of discrimination following the attack.
"These things need to stop. They need to stop in Boystown. They need to stop everywhere," Robinson said.
Police are not currently investigating the incident as a hate crime, but say the search for other suspects continues and additional arrests are expected.
Twenty-five-year-old Robinson was walking with two friends on Halsted when he says someone in a passing group made an insulting comment. He responded and was then jumped, kicked and beaten by 15 people, in an attack that was caught on tape.
"When I got up, I realized I was stabbed," he told CBS 2 Chicago during an interview on Friday afternoon. (Watch the video on CBS 2 Chicago)
Robinson was stabbed multiple times, which resulted in a collapsed lung. He was released from the hospital Friday afternoon and is in good condition.
Twenty-four-year-old Darren Hayes was the one seen on video throwing the first punch at the victim, according to prosecutors. He was charged Friday with one count of aggravated battery in connection with the stabbing and ordered held in lieu of $700,000 in Cook County court.
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. Two knives were found at his home.
Police credit the video posted on YouTube and social networking websites for assisting in the investigation. Detectives used Facebook to match Hayes' photo with 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, race and racism became the hot topics at Wednesday's CAPS meeting in Lakeview.
Robinson, who is a third-year student at DePaul, told CBS 2 that he hopes gay African-American men in Boystown don't become targets of discrimination following the attack.
"These things need to stop. They need to stop in Boystown. They need to stop everywhere," Robinson said.
Police are not currently investigating the incident as a hate crime, but say the search for other suspects continues and additional arrests are expected.