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CNN Live Saturday

Men Charged in Chicago Mob Beating

Aired August 03, 2002 - 18:07   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Cook County, Illinois authorities are throwing the book at six men and a teenager accused of dragging two men from a van and beating them to death Tuesday night. In Chicago, here's reporter Dane Placo of affiliate WFLD.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We know he didn't do nothing like this.

DANE PLACO, WFLD CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Friends and family of the seven men now charged with Tuesday's brutal mob beating say they can't believe the men were involved.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It surprised me because I never -- all I say, they come around here. They visit their families, you know, they may drink a little beer and that's it. I don't -- I've never seen some attack no one no kind of way.

PLACO: But police say they have plenty of evidence, including eyewitnesses, line-ups, fingerprints, and DNA. The men charged have been identified as 43-year old Ricky Lawson, 20-year old Lamont Motes, 20-year old Robert Tucker, 16-year old Antonio Fort, 31-year old James Ousley, and brothers 43-year old Roosevelt Lawrence and 47-year old Henry Lawrence. Both are uncles to one of the girls injured in the accident.

All seven have criminal histories. And police say all seven are members of street gangs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was a simple accident, simple accident, traffic accident, crash accident. And for a mob to pull these individuals from the vehicle and beat them the way they did, you know, you would think that you was in some third world country.

PLACO: Police say the suspects were part of a large crowd hanging around this South Side home, when a rented van driven by 62- year old Jack Moore and 50-year old Anthony Stuckey jumped the curb and struck three young women sitting on the porch. 16-year old Camille Green witnessed that accident and is also the niece of murder suspect James Ousley.

CAMILLE GREEN, WITNESS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) he came up same time as us. And all he did was hold one of the girl's hands that didn't have no -- nobody was paying attention to her. He was just the last -- the first person they picked up. He said -- and police talked for two hours. And they don't even have nothing on him.

PLACO: But police say their investigation continues with the possibility that even more people were involved in the beating.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any and everyone who participated in this senseless tragedy needs to be identified, located and charged. And we plan on doing that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: That was Dane Placo from our affiliate WFLD reporting.

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