May 25--A Far South Side man has been charged with a hate crime after he stabbed a security guard who had just gotten off from work and was crossing the Washington Street Bridge in the West Loop, police said.
Leroy Willis, 45, of the 11000 block of South Wentworth Avenue, was charged Tuesday morning with aggravated battery, hate crime and aggravated attempted robbery in the attack against Todd Light, 49, police said.
Light, who works as a security guard at a downtown building, said he was taking a couple of minutes to relax by the river when Willis approached him.
The attacker yelled, "I hate (expletive) white people, give me your wallet," and stabbed Light twice, he said. Light said he wrestled with Willis and managed to hold him and force him to drop the knife.
"I held him there and yelled until a passerby came and called the police," Light said. "I'm really not sure how long I was sitting there yelling. Maybe a couple of minutes."
Light was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He said his wounds were superficial.
"The doctor said I was lucky," he said. "I feel very extremely lucky. I've been in fights before but not when I thought I was going to die if I didn't win this. It was a definite possibility."
Light said he believed his attacker's comments were only made to scare him, but that charges are "pretty much deserved."
"He definitely led himself into the hate crime one," Light said.
Willis appeared Tuesday afternoon at a bail hearing where he was denied bail by Cook County Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr., according to court records.
His next court date was scheduled for May 31.
