Illinois teen pleads guilty to hate crime in attack on Sikh

WHEATON, Ill. (AP) - A suburban Chicago teenager accused of beating a Sikh man has pleaded guilty to a hate crime.

The Chicago Tribune reports (http://trib.in/1lMnw34 ) that the 17-year-old from the village of Willowbrook pleaded guilty Dec. 7.

The confrontation occurred in September along a road in Darien.

Fifty-three-year-old Inderjit Mukker (IHN'-dur-jeet MOO'-kur) of Darien says the teen was cutting him off and calling him a "terrorist" and "Bin Laden."

Prosecutors say when they both pulled over the teen punched Mukker in the face. The Sikh Coalition rights group says Mukker suffered a broken cheekbone and cuts requiring stiches.

Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 8 in juvenile court. The teen faces possible sentences of probation, court supervision or juvenile detention for up to three years.

___

Information from: Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com