A man previously involved in a notorious hate crime is once again in legal trouble after allegedly attacking a cyclist, authorities report.
Tesfaye Cooper, now 30, who served nearly seven years in prison for a 2017 incident involving the abuse of a mentally disabled man in Chicago, was taken into custody on April 8. He is accused of assaulting a cyclist and stealing the victim’s bike, according to information from CWB Chicago.
Law enforcement officials stated that Cooper, along with Mazi Pearson, 33, allegedly shouted “GDs!”—a reference to the Gangster Disciples—while pursuing the victim into a train station. They reportedly punched and spat on the cyclist during the attack.
Back in 2017, Cooper, who is black, and three accomplices made headlines for live-streaming a racially charged attack on Facebook. The group tied, gagged, and cut a special-needs man with a knife, an act that shocked many.
During the live-streamed attack, someone can be heard demanding the victim say, “I love black people” and make derogatory statements about then-President Donald Trump and white people.
Cooper faced charges including aggravated kidnapping, hate crime, aggravated unlawful restraint, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
His accomplices, Jordan Hill, Brittany Covington, and Tanishia Covington, were hit with the same charges.
In the mugging case, the cyclist was also white, though Cooper was reportedly not charged with a hate crime.
