Prosecutors say a Grayslake man jumped on top of a woman, punched her, called her the N-word and used other slurs during an attack at a bar near Grayslake.
The incident occurred around 10:50 p.m. Sunday at C’Mon Inn Bar, 34028 Route 45 in unincorporated Grayslake.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call for a battery in progress and deputies arrived to find a 52-year-old Waukegan woman who had been battered.
Sheriff’s deputies determined the woman was at the bar with a group of friends, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
She was approached by Joseph R. Young, 40, of the 100 block of Glen Street in Grayslake, who began yelling racial slurs at her, Covelli said.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Kelse Banks said during a bond hearing that the victim and Young did not know each other.
Young was also joined by his acquaintance, a 36-year-old Grayslake woman, who allegedly began insulting the victim.
The victim moved outside to the front of the bar in an effort to get away from Young and the woman, Covelli said.
Covelli said that Young and the woman followed the victim and Young continued his barrage of racial slurs directed at the woman.
The victim tried walking away and Young pushed the woman to the ground, Banks said.
Young jumped on top of the woman and began punching her while using derogatory terms relating to the victim’s sexuality and race, Banks said, adding that Young used the N-word.
The incident was captured on surveillance video and witnesses corroborated the victim’s account of the events.
The woman was injured and treated at the scene by paramedics. She did not require hospitalization.
Young was charged with a hate crime, a Class 3 felony, misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak ordered Young held in the Lake County Jail on a $150,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court again on November 8.
The 36-year-old woman was charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct. She posted 10% of a $1,500 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on November 16.