Adrian
A 20-year-old Illinois man, ADAM ERKAN, has been formally charged in connection with a violent hate crime attack targeting two Jewish students at DePaul University in Chicago last November. Erkan faces four felony charges, including two counts of hate crime and two counts of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm.
The incident occurred on November 6, 2023, when MAX LONG and MICHAEL KAMINSKY were peacefully advocating for Israel on DePaul University’s campus. Prosecutors allege that Erkan, who was not a student at the university, approached Long while wearing a face-covering and hurling antisemitic slurs. A second suspect, who remains at large, allegedly struck Long from behind and subsequently attacked Kaminsky when he intervened to assist Long.
Surveillance footage captured Erkan fleeing the scene in a 2011 Silver Toyota RAV-4, leading authorities to identify him with the assistance of his father. Erkan was arrested outside his home earlier this week and appeared in court on Thursday, where a judge ordered him held without bail pending trial.
The attack left Long, an Israeli Defense Forces reservist, unconscious and suffering from a brain injury, while Kaminsky sustained a fractured wrist that required surgery. Reflecting on the incident, Long expressed a sense of relief but also concern, stating, “I’ve said many times, I felt safer having the support of my team in the army around me in Gaza than I do a lot of times on my own college campus in Chicago.”
DePaul University officials condemned the attack in a statement, emphasizing that Erkan is not a member of the DePaul community. “Acts of hate and violence have no place at DePaul. We condemn antisemitism in all its forms and stand in solidarity with those affected by this reprehensible act,” the statement read.
Earlier this month, Long and Kaminsky, alongside **The Lawfare Project**, filed a lawsuit against DePaul University, alleging that officials failed to address antisemitic rhetoric on campus. **Gerard Filitti**, Senior Counsel at The Lawfare Project, commended the Chicago Police Department for their efforts in identifying and apprehending Erkan. “We expect the State Attorney to vigorously prosecute this as the conspiracy and hate crime attack it was,” Filitti stated.
Authorities continue to search for the second suspect involved in the attack.
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[Read the full report from Fox News](#)
**Sources:**
Fox News: [Link](#)
The Lawfare Project: [Link](#)
