Suspects who allegedly attacked woman in McDonald's because of her sexual orientation face hate crime charges
Two males, including one juvenile, are facing hate crime charges after allegedly physically attacking a 19-year-old woman and calling her "derogatory" names at a McDonald's in Illinois, according to the Kane County State's Attorney's Office.
The incident occurred on May 13, when police responded to a report of a fight at a McDonald's in Carpentersville, Illinois, which is about an hour outside of Chicago.
Once on the scene, officials determined the incident "involved an aggravated battery against a female victim," Carpentersville Police Department said.
The female victim, 19-year-old Kady Grass, told ABC News the attack, which led to her suffering a broken nose and bruises on her shoulders, was based on her sexual orientation.
"Even if they don't agree with the LGBTQ community, they have no right to make it physical or bully you into something. There was no right to do this to me just because they didn't like that I date women instead of men," Grass told ABC News last week.
One of the suspects involved in the attack, 19-year-old John Kammrad, was arrested on May 17, and the juvenile — whose "identify is being withheld in accordance with state laws protecting minors' privacy" — turned himself in to police on May 16, officials said.
On Tuesday, the state's attorney's office announced that Kammrad was charged with three counts of aggravated battery, mob action and a hate crime. The juvenile was also charged with a hate crime, in addition to mob action and aggravated battery charges, prosecutors said.
MORE: Woman speaks out after alleged homophobic attack at McDonald's in Illinois
"Everyone deserves to feel safe in public spaces, and no one should be attacked because of their gender identity or sexual orientation, as is alleged in this case. We must make it clear that Kane County is a community that welcomes all," the county State's Attorney Jamie Mosser said in a statement.
Grass said the attack began when she and her 13-year-old cousin were grabbing food at the McDonald's and Grass decided to use the bathroom. Both the restroom stalls were full, so she walked out right away, when one boy out of a group of three began calling her a derogatory name, she told ABC News.
She said she "mumbled" under her breath but walked away and told her cousin to "not give them another reason to talk to us."
One of the boys, the juvenile who was later charged, approached Grass again, saying they "wanted to fight" her and they should "take it outside," she said. Grass said she then proceeded to go outside the McDonald's, but "no one came out."
MORE: Hate crimes, particularly against LGBTQ community, on the rise: FBI data
When she returned inside to her cousin, she told Grass she overheard the males and said "they have a gun and they are going to kill you." Grass later found out that it was an "empty threat" as police did not find a gun in the suspects' possession.
Kammrad then approached Grass and said, "You're a woman, you're not tough," to which Grass replied: "I know I'm a woman, I'm a lesbian," she told ABC News.
She said she then looked at the juvenile, who "had this look in his eyes" and began to smile at her.
"I had a bad feeling about what was going to happen," Grass said.
Kammrad proceeded to get close to Grass, so she placed her hand on his chest to signal he should "keep his distance," she said.
MORE: Police seeking assailant who allegedly used anti-gay slur in NYC subway attack
The confrontation then escalated into a physical fight, with one male punching her in the front and the other hitting her in the back, she said. A manager at the McDonald's attempted to break up the fight, but he also "got hit in the process," Grass said.
In an attempt to protect herself, Grass closed her eyes and fell to the ground, which led to the two males stomping on her head, causing her to become unconscious, she said.
"They were trying to kill me," Grass said last week.
She sustained severe injuries and was transported to a local hospital, where "she was treated and subsequently released," police said.
Grass told ABC News Chicago station WLS on Tuesday that she was "fighting really hard for these hate crime charges."
Kammrad's plea setting is scheduled for June 27 at 9 a.m., according to court records. He is currently being held in the DuPage County Jail for "separate, unrelated charges," officials said.
It was not immediately clear whether Kammrad has appointed an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
Suspects who allegedly attacked woman in McDonald's because of her sexual orientation face hate crime charges originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
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