Beating of boy probed as hate crime
July 19, 2006
BY ANNIE SWEENEY AND STEFANO ESPOSITO

A 14-year-old Beverly boy with a heart defect was critically beaten and robbed because he was "a goofy-looking white boy," his accused attacker allegedly told investigators.

The new details, which emerged Tuesday during a Juvenile Court hearing for the 16-year-old accused assailant, are prompting Chicago Police to investigate the beating of Ryan Rusch -- who was set upon by three youths Sunday -- as a hate crime.

"Our sense right off the bat was they were just looking for a victim," First Deputy Police Supt. Dana Starks said Tuesday. "It is my understanding that these [race remarks] were later statements. . . . We are now investigating it as a hate crime." the rest