A 20-year-old man allegedly stabbed his brother repeatedly Saturday morning as their father tried to intervene during a fight at their apartment in the Mayfair neighborhood on the Northwest Side.
Sami Djaid was charged with felony counts of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated domestic battery in the attack in the 4600 block of North Kildare Avenue, according to Chicago police and Cook County court records.
During his initial court hearing Sunday, prosecutors noted that Djaid and his 27-year-old brother had a “contentious relationship for over a year.” The bad blood came to a head Saturday when they began arguing over Djaid’s accusation that his brother was staring at him.
Djaid then went to the apartment’s kitchen and grabbed two knives, including a butcher knife, and threatened to kill his brother, prosecutors said. As their father stood between them, Djaid began swinging both knives and stabbed his brother in his neck and arms.
Prosecutors said Djaid ultimately pushed past his father and chased his brother down a hallway, where the older brother grabbed a glass bottle and struck Djaid over the head. After the two wrestled together, Djaid’s brother ran into a bedroom and threatened to call the police.
Djaid then attempted to run off while still holding a knife, but his brother ran to lock him inside the apartment, prosecutors said. That’s when Djaid stabbed his brother in the chest, at which point prosecutors said the victim began making “gurgling sounds” and struggled to breathe.
Prosecutors said the older brother suffered five stab wounds, including a lacerated lung that may require surgery.
He showed up at Amita Resurrection Medical Center in an unknown condition and identified his brother as the attacker, police said. Djaid was arrested about 11:30 a.m. at the hospital.
Djaid’s public defender noted that his client also suffered puncture wounds and lacerations that required stitches. In his police booking photo, Djaid has two bandages on his head and what appears to be a cut over his left eye.
He graduated from Taft High School in Norwood Park and has lived in Cook County his entire life, his public defender said. For the past two months, he has worked as a barista at O’Hare International Airport.
Judge Maryam Ahmed set his bail at $200,000. If he can post $20,000 to bond out, he’ll be placed on electronic monitoring.
He’s expected in court again on Feb. 28.
