16-Year-Old Faces Assault, Hate Crime Charges In Beating Of Motorist Who Hit Child

By Elisha Anderson and Gina Damron, Detroit Free Press

DETROIT — A 16-year-old has been charged with ethnic intimidation in connection with the brutal beating of Steven Utash, the motorist attacked in Detroit last week when he got out of his pickup truck to check on the 10-year-old he hit when the child stepped into the street.

The teen, who was charged as a juvenile and is not being named, also was charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm and has a court hearing scheduled Saturday morning at the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Center, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said.

The prosecutor’s office also announced that 19-year-old Latrez Cummings, who was arrested Wednesday, has been charged with assault with intent to murder and assault with intent to do great bodily harm in the attack. It’s unclear when Cummings will be arraigned.

Three others, ages 24, 30 and 17, were arraigned earlier this week on the same charges.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in the cases against the adults in this case, “the evidence does not support a charge of ethnic intimidation.”

“As in all cases with multiple defendants we must evaluate each person’s actions individually to assess their alleged criminal conduct,” Worthy said. “In the case of the 16-year-old charged as a juvenile, we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt the crimes of assault with intent to do great bodily harm and ethnic intimidation.”

Officials have said Utash was attacked on April 2 on the city’s east side by up to a dozen people, who severely beat the Clinton Township, Mich., man with their fists and feet. Utash has been hospitalized in a medically induced coma with critical head injuries, according to police and his family.

James D. Davis, 24; Wonzey Saffold, 30, and Bruce Wimbush Jr., 17, were also charged in the attack with assault with intent to murder and assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder. All three are due back in court April 21.

Photo: ifmuth via Flickr