CHICAGO (WLS) — A Chicago teenager is speaking out for the first time after he was attacked while working at a local restaurant.
The attack was captured on camera inside Fatburger in the Chatham neighborhood.
The teen at the center of the video was rewarded Friday for his courage and dedication to his job. He spoke exclusively with the ABC7 I-Team.
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The 18-year-old employee, Aaron Burns, states he had to protect himself when a group of teenagers attacked him several months ago while he was working at Fatburger.
Community leaders are now rallying behind Burns, surprising him with a gift that left him speechless.
The attack was caught on surveillance video and has been seen by millions on social media.
“I didn’t have no conversation with them, so I don’t even know why I was brought into it,” Burns said.
He says it all originated from a fight at his high school. According to Burns, he wasn’t involved and was in class during the altercation. He believes the group targeted him under the mistaken belief that he had some connection to the fight and thus attacked him.
“They walked in the back, and they asked what is my name,” he said.
But before he could respond, he says punches were thrown.
ABC7 has blurred the video of the attack because, so far, no one has been charged. Chicago police are still investigating.
“I was just shocked because I can’t believe they came to fight me, and I didn’t have nothing to do with it,” Burns said.
Jackie Jackson is the owner of Fatburger Chatham and is still outraged by what happened.
“How dare them come into my business, destroy it, and put my team at risk, scare the customers off,” Jackson said. “I was so frustrated.”
In spite of the attack, the owner says Burns came back to work, taking Ubers every day to make sure he was safe and on time.
Community organizer Early Walker saw the attack on social media and felt compelled to step up.
“The fact that he continued to work here and didn’t let this deter him,” Walker mentioned. “Kids do want to work and be productive, and Aaron was a prime example of that.”
A big surprise was in store for Aaron on Friday, one he never expected.
“I heard that you are taking Uber to work every day,” Walker said to Burns. “So, we’re going to help you with that by giving you a check so that you can get a car. That’s $4,000.”
And that wasn’t all. The Chatham community came out to Fatburger to support the Black-owned business and show their love to Burns.
One hundred customers got free meals Friday in support of Burns and Fatburger Chatham.
Walker is sponsoring another 100 meals Saturday at 10:30 a.m. The goal is to turn something negative into positive acts of kindness.
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