WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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The Indiana men known as the Tinley Park Five have been in the country’s largest jail in now for more than half a year. The group was arrested May 19th after police pulled them over in a red Dodge Neon in Tinley Park, Illinois, a southern suburb of Chicago. The men inside the car were accused of participating in a violent attack just minutes earlier at a restaurant in Tinley Park. Three of the men are brothers: Jason, Cody and Dylan Sutherlin. The Sutherlins are all from Bloomington. The victims of that attack were alleged white supremacists associated with a group known as the Illinois European Heritage Association. Lawyers for the Tinley Park Five have referred to the victims as alleged Nazis and “part of the white racist culture in this country.”
After the incident, during which the defendants allegedly wielded batons and hammers, roughly ten people were reported injured. As many as 18 alleged attackers may have taken part in the incident, but only five were arrested. Two of the victims were also arrested, one for illegal possession of a firearm, and the other for an outstanding warrant for possession of child pornography. Since then, the Tinley Park Five have remained in Cook County Jail in Chicago while they await trial. The five are scheduled to appear in court this Friday, and it’s possible they could reach a plea deal with the prosecution. Correspondent Joe Crawford spoke with attorney Brian Barrido, who is representing Dylan Sutherlin, for this WFHB feature exclusive.
