Man accused of stabbing, robbery also charged with hate crime

A Roseland man was charged with a hate crime for allegedly yelling “I f—— hate white people” as he stabbed a man and demanded his wallet late Sunday night on a downtown bridge.

Leroy Willis, 45, of the 11000 block of South Wentworth Avenue, was also charged with aggravated battery and attempted aggravated robbery, police said.

On Tuesday, Cook County Judge Adam Bourgeois ordered Willis held without bail.

“Honestly, if he attacked me because I’m white, or because he doesn’t like my haircut, I don’t care,” Todd Light said Tuesday as he recovered from two stab wounds to his abdomen that were, luckily, superficial. “He stabbed me. As long as he’s getting charged with something, I’m fine with that.”

Light, 49, was on his way to catch a train after finishing a shift working security at a downtown high-rise and paused for a moment on the Washington Street Bridge to look at the Chicago River when he was stabbed as his assailant demanded his wallet.

“He said ‘I f—— hate white people,’ ” recalled Light, who was able to wrestle his attacker to the ground and, with the help of a passerby, restrain the man and alert authorities.

“This sort of thing has become so commonplace that if anyone actually stands up to the guy then that makes it newsworthy, and that I find a little sad,” said Light, who has been bombarded by calls from reporters since the attack.