They said they were 'going to kill us'

Publish date: 2024-07-11

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A young Chicago couple caught on video being assaulted during the violent “Teen Takeover” of the Windy City over the weekend feared the vicious mob was “going to kill us” during the unprovoked attack.

Ashley Knutson, 20, and Devontae Garrisson-Johnson, 22, recounted their frightening ordeal on North Wabash Avenue on Saturday night when they were overrun by the marauding youngsters outside a Macy’s store.

Knutson said she and her boyfriend were shopping when they ran into “the really big group of people, guys, and girls” in the Loop, Fox 32 reported.

“DJ had my hand trying to lead me through the crowd of people and they pushed him, they pushed me, and as soon as they pushed me I told DJ, ‘They just shoved me,’” Knutson recalled.

“And he was like, ‘Don’t shove her, who shoved her?’ And as soon as he said that, everything went crazy,” she said.

“They said they were going to kill us. They turned around and started fighting. I got pushed down to the ground and the whole group went to DJ and not to me,” the young woman continued.

She said she was hurt in the fracas, but that Garrisson-Johnson suffered the brunt of the aggression.

“They were jumping him in the middle of the street. It got pretty bad,” Knutson told the outlet.

Devontae Garrisson-Johnson (left) and Ashley Knutson (right) told the media how they were attacked by a random mob in Chicago. Fox News
Knutson said she and her boyfriend were shopping when they ran into “the really big group of people, guys, and girls” in the Loop, according to reports. Fox News
“They said they were going to kill us. They turned around and started fighting. I got pushed down to the ground and the whole group went to DJ and not to me,” the 20-year-old woman said. Fox News

In the viral video posted by CWB Chicago, Knutson is heard pleading for help when a good Samaritan stepped in and de-escalated the encounter.

“I felt like at that moment, I needed to take action,” Lenora Dennis told NBC Chicago. “By the time he got up, he was bleeding from the mouth, his head, his eyes. He couldn’t make straight eye contact. It felt like he might have been concussed.”

Knutson told Fox 32 she saw cops drive by and “acted like they didn’t see anything.”

The mob pushed Knutson to the ground and immediately turned on Garrisson-Johnson to beat him. Fox News

Dennis also expressed frustration about the lack of help from Chicago’s police.

“I literally went out in the street and held my hands up to a police car and asked them to stop and motioned them over to what was going on, and they just cut a path around me and just kept going,” she said.

Dennis said she drove the couple to a police station to file a report.

Knutson said she was hurt in the fracas, but that Garrisson-Johnson suffered the brunt of the aggression. Fox News
In the viral video posted by CWB Chicago, Knutson is heard pleading for help when a good Samaritan stepped in. Fox News

“I got told by the desk sergeant that this was going to happen and that this was going to keep happening because Brandon Johnson got elected,” she said, referring to the mayor-elect.

On Monday, the progressive Democrat urged the public not to “demonize” the hordes of rampaging teens who set cars on fire, clashed with police, and damaged private property.

Dennis said the couple was taken to a hospital by ambulance, but without their phones, wallets, and even shoes, all of which had been stolen during the attack.

“I told the couple that I was going to go home to find them some shoes so that they wouldn’t be barefoot for the rest of the night,” she told the outlet.

“God bless her. She gave us shoes, took us home, and took us to the hospital. Thank you so much. I don’t know where we would have been without her,” Knutson said.

The good Samaritan said: “Do unto others. That’s a mantra that I live by every day. Just do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Garrisson-Johnson, who suffered injuries to his face, shoulder and back, described the terrifying incident to Fox News.

“It was very random because all we were doing [was] we had just left Nordstrom and we were looking for somewhere to eat and we saw that group and they just thought they were tough and they wouldn’t move out the way, just out there being stupid, young and dumb, trying to prove a point for nothing,” he recalled.

Police said no one has been arrested in connection with the attack.

In a statement, police said: “The reckless, disruptive, and violent behavior that was seen downtown this past weekend will not be tolerated.” Twitter/@EndWokeness
No one has been arrested in connection with the attack, according to police. Twitter/@EndWokeness

In a statement, police said: “The reckless, disruptive, and violent behavior that was seen downtown this past weekend will not be tolerated.

“We actively and continuously review open source social media and additional resources will be available to protect those who are visiting, living, or working in the areas of large gatherings,” police said.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot called the teens’ behavior “reckless, disrespectful, and unlawful,” but added that many were there to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather.

“As I have said before, we as a city cannot and will not allow any of our public spaces to become a platform for criminal conduct,” she said in a statement.

 “Most importantly, parents and guardians must know where their children are and be responsible for their actions. Instilling the important values of respect for people and property must begin at home.”

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