An Elgin man and a 16-year-old juvenile accused of attacking a lesbian woman at a Carpentersville McDonald’s, leaving her badly injured, have been indicted on a hate crime charge by a Kane County grand jury.
John Z. Kammrad, 19, of the 900 block of Hillcrest Road, and the unnamed juvenile also were indicted on three counts of aggravated battery and one count of mob action, all felony charges, according to a news release from Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser and Carpentersville Police Chief Todd Shaver.
The incident occurred May 13 at the McDonald’s at 1660 S. Kennedy Drive.
Victim Kady Grass, 19, a former Carpentersville resident who now lives in Wisconsin, was returning from the restroom when she said she was called a gay slur by the juvenile. The situation escalated, resulting in the two defendants beating her, she said.
The indictment charges that “John Kammrad, while acting with another person, struck and/or kicked a victim in the head and/or body, causing her great bodily harm. The acts were committed in a public place of accommodation and by reason of the actual or perceived sexual orientation of the victim,” according to the release.
The 16-year-old’s identity has not been released because of his age.
Grass, who has spoken out on the attack and urged prosecutors to pursue a hate crime charge, said she was “really happy” to learn of the indictment Monday. She would like to have seen an attempted murder charge as well but said she understood it could be difficult to prove and get a conviction.
Grass was hospitalized following the attack and is still recovering from her injuries, she said. Mentally, it’s been difficult, she said.
“Last night I jumped awake because of my dreams,” she said.
Grass was in Carpentersville to visit her grandparents and to go to her cousin’s choir concert. She and her cousin were eating at the McDonald’s about 8:20 p.m. when the incident occurred.
Speaking to a Courier-News reporter, Grass said she was walking by a table at which three people were seated when the younger defendant allegedly used a gay slur directed at her. She responded by calling them “wannabe gangsters” under her breath but continued back to her table, she said.
When the teen then started yelling at her, according to her account, she acknowledged she was a lesbian and told him she did not like the slur he used, she said. The teen said they should take things outside, but did not follow her when she left the restaurant, she said.
After she returned, Krammrad allegedly told her she wasn’t so tough because she was a woman, she said.
The younger teen then allegedly told her they didn’t need a gun to kill someone and he and Kammrad approached her, Grass said. When she flicked her wrist to get them to move out of her personal space, she said, the pair reportedly punched her in the face, struck her back and, when she fell to the ground, kicked her arms and face, she said. She was briefly left unconscious, she said.
A McDonald’s manager who tried to break up the altercation was also struck, Grass said.
Both suspects were later arrested by police.
Kammrad is being held in the DuPage County jail on separate, unrelated charges, the news release said. His next Kane County court appearance is scheduled for June 27.
Mosser issued a statement following the indictments, saying “these allegations are serious and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Everyone deserves to feel safe in public spaces, and no one should be attacked because of their gender identity or sexual orientation, as is alleged in this case.”