Detroit Hate Crime: Four of Five Black Suspects Charged in Racist, Near-Fatal Beating of Truck Driver Steve Utash Appear in Court

 

Steve Utash, pre-attack, with his kids Mandi, Joe, and Felicia 

Re-posted by Nicholas Stix

Thanks to my partner-in-crime, David in TN, for this article.
 

Four Suspects Charged in Beating of Driver Steve Utash Appear in Court
By Nima Shaffe
5:20 P.M., Apr 21, 2014; updated 6:13 A.M., Apr 21, 2014
[Hit link for video.]

DETROIT, Mich. (WXYZ) - Four suspects appeared in court for their preliminary hearings in connection with the brutal beating of 54-year old Steven Utash.

Utash is the Roseville man who was beaten after he stopped to check on a 10-year-old boy he accidentally hit with his truck.

The four suspects, 17-year-old Bruce Wimbush, Jr., along with 30-year-old Wonzey Saffold, 24-year-old James Deontae Davis, and 19-year-old Latrez Cummings were in court. All four were bound over for trial.

All of the men are charged with Assault with Intent to Murder, and Assault with Intent to do Great Bodily Harm. Also, the prosecutor added a weapons charge for Saffold after witnesses say he pulled a gun out of his waistband and waived it around.

A 16-year-old has already pleaded not guilty, and will go to trial at a later date. He'll be tried as a juvenile, facing charges of Assault with Intent to do Great Bodily Harm, as well as Ethnic Intimidation.

As for Utash, his children tell 7 Action News he often finds himself fearing for his life, despite being awake and out of a medically induced coma.

His family says Steve has taken a turn for the worst in his recovery.  Steve's family says he does not have medical insurance.  Online donations have reached $180,000, but Max says the daily hospital bill is $20,000.

Learn how to help HERE.