Detroit african crowd stole white motorist's money,credit cards after beating him unconscious
http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.d...C4&Date=201404
03&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=304030131&Ref=AR&MaxW=600 &Border=0 Steve Utash, a tree-trimmer from Roseville, is a good guy, the kind of man who cares about others and would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it, his daughter says. Thursday night, his family was keeping a vigil at St. John Hospital, where he was unconscious and clinging to life after being beaten unconscious by a group of men in east Detroit Wednesday night. The attack happened after his pickup truck hit a 10-year-old boy who stepped off a curb into its path. His daughter, Felicia Utash, said after he was beaten, he was robbed of his money, his wallet and his credit cards. Felicia, 20, said her family is devastated. “He's an amazing dad and person,” Felicia said. “He's very loved and those kids should be ashamed. This is hurting us far more than one reason. They stole from him. He had money in his wallet as well as bank cards. They took everything from him.” She said her father suffered multiple head injuries and still had not regained consciousness Thursday night. He doesn’t have health insurance and the family plans to set up a fundraiser to cover his hospital bill. “What happened to my dad is a shame,” Felicia said, via a Facebook message. “He was doing the right thing like he always does.” She said her father is still unconscious and in the intensive care unit at St. John Hospital after sustaining multiple, serious head injuries. At a Thursday news conference, Detroit Police Sgt. Michael Woody said the man “is still in critical condition and it’s really not looking all that good.” Both Utash and the boy, who has been identified as David Harris, were taken to St. John Hospital. James Duston Jr., David’s godfather, said the boy is not out of the hospital yet. Duston said the boy has abrasions on his knee, swelling on his lip and is having problems with one of his feet. According to Felicia Utash , her father was on his way home from work when the attack happened. A surveillance video from a gas station shows the boy ran out into traffic and was hit by a pickup truck. Steven got out to check on the boy and attempt to render aid after the collision at about 4:10 p.m. near Morang and Balfour streets. A large group of men quickly gathered and began beating Utash, according to Woody. Felicia said the family will announce a fundraiser in the coming days to help cover her father’s bills. “...He doesn't deserve to have (medical bills) hanging over his head forever,” she said. “This isn't fair by any means. It hurts me to know how much pain he's in and there's nothing I can do about it but sit here with my sister and hope for the best.” Police have said they don’t believe Utash broke any traffic laws. Woody said that the preliminary investigation indicates the boy stepped out in front of the pickup as it traveled on Morang. The child’s family insist that none of them touched Utash. Both the boy’s uncle, 29-year-old Desmond Key, and godfather, 29-year- old James Duston, said they heard people saying the pickup driver tried to flee when he was beaten. But they said they didn’t see anything to indicate that he was trying run away. Duston said he and Key were at a nearby house when they heard from one of David’s friends that he was hit. They arrived on scene and saw David. “The only thing we seen was this little boy on the ground screaming and blood just coming out his mouth. Oh, my goodness it was the scariest thing I done seen for a long time,” Key said. “I’m sorry that guy got hurt, but our family didn’t have anything to do with that guy getting hurt.” Key said it was a highly emotional scene, with the boy screaming and people running to the scene. “We understood that David ran into the street. We understand that,” Duston said, adding that the family had nothing to do with the man getting beaten. “He’s swollen he’s got abrasions, and he’s hurting,” Duston said of his godson, adding that he’ll recover. “We don’t know who they are,” Key said of the people who beat Utash. Police did arrest the child’s father on an unrelated warrant and are questioning him about what he knows in regard to the assault, Woody said. “Whether or not he was actually involved in the assault, that still has yet to be determined,” Woody said. Mike Berry, 29, manager at the nearby Lucky 7 party store, said he heard the commotion outside Wednesday afternoon but didn’t see much, because he was protecting his store. People were running around, and he stood just inside the door for fear that people would try to loot his shelves, he said. Woody said the area around the gas station is a popular hang-out spot in the neighborhood. After the accident, between 20 and 30 people came to the scene, Woody said. He said about 10 to 12 people are believed to have been involved in the beating. Woody said the incident is tragic for the families involved. “What we want to remind everybody, not just the citizens that live here, but those that work and play here, as well, is that .... this is not conducive to how the city of Detroit generally handles things,” Woody said. “This is very much an anomaly. It’s very much a shock to all of us. I would ask that everybody reserve their judgments. Right now we have a man that’s in the hospital fighting for his life. We have a young boy that I understand is also still in the hospital. He is recovering.” Anyone with information is asked to call Detroit police at 313- 596-1616 or Crime Stoppers of Michigan at 1-800-773-2587 (SPEAKUP), where you can remain anonymous and possibly receive a cash reward. http://www.freep.com/article/2014040...131/mob-stole- motorist-money-and-credit-card-after-beating-him-unconscious |
All times are GMT +1. The time now is 03:21 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
AutoBanter.com