Man charged in hate crime attack on 2 Jewish students at DePaul University to stay in jail
The man accused of a hate crime attack on two Jewish students at DePaul University last fall was ordered held in jail while he awaits trial.
Adam Erkan, 20, of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, has been charged with two counts of aggravated battery and two counts of hate crime. He made his first court appearance on Thursday, when a Cook County judge ordered him detained.
Prosecutors said they have video evidence and cell phone data that links Erkan to the scene of the attack on Nov. 6 in front of the student center on DePaul's Lincoln Park campus.
Max Long, a reservist in the Israel Defense Forces, has said he was leading a campus discussion about the war between Israel and Hamas, when he was attacked by two masked men. Michael Kaminsky, a founding member of the DePaul chapter of Students Standing with Israel, has said he stepped in to help Long, and also was injured in the attack.
"I feel vulnerable. I do feel isolated," Long said. "You know. I don't feel safe going back to campus."
According to a Chicago police arrest report, both Kaminsky and Long were wearing clothing that clearly identified them as Jewish. Kaminsky was wearing a "Bring Them Home" necklace referring to Israelis held hostage by Hamas, and Long was wearing a sweater that said "Curb Your Antisemitism" and a sign that said, "Come talk about Israel with an IDF soldier."
Police said Erkan approached Long while wearing a black ski mask and began talking to him about Israel, while his accomplice came up from behind and began beating Long, causing a concussion. When Kaminsky stepped in to help, Erkan allegedly attacked him, causing a fractured wrist.
Police said Erkan and his accomplice shouted antisemitic remarks during the attack.
Erkan allegedly drove there in a car owned by his father, who identified him as one of the two men who attacked Long and Kaminsky
Police were still searching for the second attacker.
Erkan's father, visiting from New Jersey, didn't want to speak about his son's case, but stood in support of his son as he faced a judge for the first time on Thursday.
"As a victim of a hate crime, and a heinous hate crime, the biggest challenge is not looking over my shoulder, wondering, 'Hey, is my safety going to be at risk?'" Kaminsky said.
Kaminsky said the attack left him with a fractured wrist.
Long suffered a concussion in the attack and might require surgery.
"It's definitely a process. It's with the physical injuries; but also the, you know, the psychological side," Long said.
Prosecutors said phone call data shows Erkan shared three calls with the other attacker on the day of the incident, and video shows video Erkan getting out of a silver Toyota Rav4 without a mask after traveling to DePaul's campus from Hoffman Estates. The other attacker came from Tinley Park.
Defense attorneys said Erkan is a student at Triton College, where he is studying cybersecurity and a few credits short of graduation.
Attorneys said Erkan does not have a previous criminal record.
He was due back in court on April 22.
"One of the more important things is speaking out, and really making sure that this does not get brushed under the rug, because this is happening all over the country," Long said.
Meantime, Long and Kaminsky have filed a civil lawsuit against DePaul, accusing the university of failing to protect them from the attack. They have said a DePaul public safety officer was standing just 10 feet away from them at the time of the attack, but did nothing to stop it.
Their lawsuit also claims Long had complained to school officials about being harassed and threatened at earlier campus discussions about the war between Israel and Hamas. Nonetheless, Long and Kaminsky said DePaul canceled a contract it had with a private security firm to help secure its campus just two days before the attack, and did not replace them with other equivalent safety measures, only to rehire the private security firm after the attack.
