A Democratic Illinois state senator’s attempt to join the leftist chorus defending teen rioters in Chicago was slammed further after the young couple seen being beaten in a viral video came forward about the mob’s intent.
“They said they were trying to kill us!”
(Video: Fox News)
Over the weekend, chaos reigned in Chicago as rioting and looting left multiple people shot as bystanders caught up in the bedlam were also transported to the hospital for injuries. Among them were 20-year-old Ashley and 22-year-old DJ who spoke to Fox News’s Sandra Smith Tuesday with details of their harrowing experience.
While out shopping and looking for somewhere to eat, Ashley explained they had come upon the crowd blocking their path and “As soon as they pushed me, I told DJ. I said, ‘Hey, they just shoved me.’ And he asked them, he was like, ‘Yo, don’t shove her. Who shoved her?’ And as soon as he said that, everything went crazy.”
“They said they were trying to kill us!” she said.
After being forced to the ground, Ashley detailed, “Everyone went for him, and it ended up in the middle of the street. They were jumping him in the middle of the street. It got pretty bad.”
Chicago woman viciously attacked by teen mob, Dems deflect as more horrifying video emergeshttps://t.co/sjtW66NP6d
— American Wire News (@americanwire_) April 18, 2023
Though they did not specify Ashley’s injuries, DJ was said to have taken the brunt of the attack and he explained, “I have a black eye. My face is messed up. Shoulder is pretty f*cked up too, it’s out of place. My back is sore.”
The attack also left them without shoes or phones as the mob was said to have robbed them of those possessions along with an Apple watch, hat and sunglasses, some of the items were brand new.
Meanwhile, Illinois state Sen. Robert Peters (D) had knowingly taken to Twitter to goad on those opposed to the unchecked violence in the Windy City and wrote, “Since I’m a glutton for punishment and I’m sure I’m gonna get the most unhinged, crime weirdo replies but: I would look at the behavior of young people as a political act and statement. It’s a mass protest against poverty and segregation. Rest in peace to my mentions.”
Since I’m a glutton for punishment and I’m sure I’m gonna get the most unhinged, crime weirdo replies but:
I would look at the behavior of young people as a political act and statement. It’s a mass protest against poverty and segregation.
Rest in peace to my mentions.
— Robert Peters (@RobertJPeters) April 16, 2023
Of course, Peters’ claim stood in stark contrast to the reality detailed by the couple as DJ explained, “It was very random because all we were doing — we had just left Nordstrom, and we were looking for somewhere to eat, and we saw that group, and they just thought they were tough, and they wouldn’t move out the way, just out there being stupid, young and dumb, trying to prove a point for nothing.”
The state senator wasn’t alone in defending the radical behavior of Chicago teens as Mayor-Elect Brandon Johnson (D) released his own statement decrying the backlash against them, arguing, “It is not constructive to demonize youth who have otherwise been starved of opportunities in their own communities.”
New Chicago mayor on teens destroying city: 'It's not constructive to demonize youth' who have been deprivedhttps://t.co/WQzstT9qvV
— American Wire News (@americanwire_) April 17, 2023
As predicted, the defense of the mob treating them as victims was met with scorn and derision.
The unaffected and ineffective people are the ones who always condone, defend, and justify insolent behavior. When it affects them directly, that’s when they cry out for justice. #clownworld #ChicagoRiots #Chicago
— Randy Purham (@RPURHAM) April 17, 2023
Nothing, absolutely nothing, can excuse barbarity.
— Outofnone (@Outofnone1) April 18, 2023
What a huge disservice you do to these young people. Without higher expectations, they will more and more hurt themselves and others.
— David Phillips (@thugish_hermit) April 18, 2023
We’re calling criminal behavior and vandalism a “protest”? Huh. That’s odd. I thought we shouldn’t wreck things or hurt people. Maybe that’s just me.
— ArchLobster (@ArchLobster) April 18, 2023
Making matters worse, Ashley claimed the police had driven by as she was getting up from being attacked and had nearly collided with the mob in the street, but did not stop to come to her or DJ’s aid.
However, they were assisted by a woman named Lenora and her husband “She gave us shoes, took us home, took us to the hospital. Thank you so much. I don’t know where we would have been without her.”
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
- Federal agent hospitalized in LA after violent attack by anti-ICE mob - February 14, 2026
- ‘Defeated Biden inflation crisis’: CNN reports lowest inflation since March 2021 under Trump - February 14, 2026
- Bessent demands Senate GOP nuke filibuster for voter ID bill: ‘The prisoner’s dilemma…kill or be killed!’ - February 14, 2026
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.