Racially charged beating sparked by death of Trayvon Martin

Alton L. Hayes, of the 1200 block of Woodbine Avenue in Oak Park, was charged with attempted robbery and aggravated battery along with a hate crime. (Oak Park Police Dept) (Oak Park police department / April 25, 2012)

OakPark,IL- An 18-year-old man charged with a hate crime in Oak Park told investigators he beat his victim in anger over the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, according to the Cook County state’s attorney office.

Alton L. Hayes, of the 1200 block of Woodbine Avenue in Oak Park, was charged with attempted robbery and aggravated battery along with a hate crime, state’s attorney spokesman Andy Conklin said Wednesday afternoon. A 15-year-old Chicago boy also was charged with attempted robbery in the incident.

Hayes is being held on $80,000 bail, according to the Cook County sheriff office’s website.

Oak Park Police Commander LaDon Reynolds said that Hayes and the 15-year-old approached the 19-year-old man from behind while walking in the 600 block of North Kenilworth Avenue about 1 a.m. on April 17.

Hayes then grabbed the victim from behind, pushed him up against a tree and struck him multiple times on the head and shoulder area, Reynolds said. The 15-year-old then picked up a tree branch, pointed it at the victim and demanded his belongings before Hayes reached inside the victim’s pockets, according to Reynolds.

Police were able to track down the alleged offenders a couple blocks away after the victim notified police.

“During the course of the investigation, we learned that the crime was related to the victim’s race,” said Reynolds.

Police said the alleged offenders were black and the victim was white.

Reynolds, however, would not comment if the crime had anything to do with the Martin shooting, but Conklin said Hayes told the investigators that he was angry about the Martin shooting and decided to attack the victim because of his race.

Martin, an unarmed black teenager from Florida, was shot and killed Feb. 26 by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who has been charged with second-degree murder. Zimmerman, whose father is white and whose mother is Hispanic, told police the shooting was in self-defense. The shooting death prompted demonstrations across the country and sparked a debate about racial profiling.

Hayes' next court hearing will be May 11.