Chicago Machete Attack: 7 Charged In Unprovoked ‘Gang Sign’ Assault

A horrific machete attack on two brothers early Monday morning in Chicago has left one of them with a severe gash in his head and resulted in the arrests of seven suspects.

According to an Associated Press report on the machete attack, seven people, including three 15-year-olds and a female, were allegedly involved in the attack which was captured on video by Chicago Transit Authority security cameras. The group of assailants came out of the Chicago night and instantly surrounded the surprised brothers before the attack.

The two brothers, 17 and 26, were reportedly sitting at Chicago’s Kedzie Brown Line train stop when the attackers approached. The unsavory group told the brothers to flash gang signs, and when they refused, one of the thugs ripped the younger brother’s hat off. The older brother reacted, at which point one of the attackers threw aside a beer he was holding, pulled out a machete from his pants and “held it to the throat of one of the victims,” said Cook County State’s Attorney’s office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton.

A box cutter was brandished by one of the juveniles during the attack also, said Simonton, with the youth pointing it at one of the brothers.

With the suspects surrounding them, the brothers had no escape, and once the younger brother had his hat violently torn off his head, the seemingly inevitable attack that was coming materialized quickly. Despite the older brother’s attempt to keep the situation under control, the machete wielding suspect seemed to have the exact opposite in mind. The suspect began “(swinging) the machete at him… causing a massive head wound” during the attack, said Simonton.

The spokeswoman said the slashing machete left a 6 inch long gash that was 1.5 inches deep in the older brother’s head. It took 30 stitches to sew up the wound once the injured victim was safely transported to an area hospital.

The seven attackers were all found and arrested nearby the Chicago train stop, approximately 45 minutes after the attack. They faced a court hearing Tuesday where the four adult men were charged with several felonious counts including robbery, aggravated battery with great bodily harm and trespassing on CTA property.

The man wielding the machete was 18-year-old Mario Elvira, who was ordered held on $450,000 bond. Of the other three attack suspects, 20-year-old Kevar Preston also received a $450,000 hold, while Jean Salvatierra, 23, and accomplice Kevin Ramirez, 19, were being held in lieu of $250,000 each.

The three juvenile attack suspects, two boys and one girl, all 15-year-olds, also received serious charges, including aggravated assault and trespassing on CTA property for one of the male youths, and trespassing on CTA property for the remaining boy and girl, according to police.

The four adult men are scheduled to appear in court on September 15.

Images via YouTube and ABC7 Chicago