Shocking video shows gang of Venezuelan migrants attack commuter on Chicago train

By Bethan Sexton For Dailymail.Com 20:53 03 Jul 2024, updated 21:35 03 Jul 2024

A Chicago commuter was viciously attacked by thieves who choked him unconscious and rifled through his pockets.

The 49-year-old victim's ordeal on February 17 was caught on harrowing surveillance video obtained by Fox News. 

Fernando Loyo-Rodriguez, Wilker Gutierrez Sierra, Carlos Carreno-Carreno and Yonnier Guasamucare Garcia, who are all Venezuelan migrants, have been charged with attempted murder and robbery.

The footage shows four men appear to befriend their victim in the train car before he is suddenly seized from behind.

The man is choked and loses consciousness. As he falls to the ground, one of the suspects covers the camera.

When he moves back, one of the group is seen rummaging through his pockets.

Police said one of the suspects held a knife to the victim's throat during the attack.

The group made off with $400 and a cellphone and left their victim unconscious in the back of the train car. 

The suspects, who are aged 18 to 22-years-old, were arrested 45 minutes later.

They had only been in the country for a few months prior to the incident, with three of the accused previously picked up for shoplifting.

The men appeared in Cook County court on Tuesday status-detention hearing.

Carreno-Carreno, Loyo-Rodriguez and Guasamucare Garcia were put in custody, while Gutierrez Sierra was let out on ankle monitor. They are due back in court on August 28. 

The crime has reignited debates about immigration in the US, as it follows a spate of other high-profile crimes allegedly committed by migrants.

Among them is the horrific rape and murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston, Texas last month.

Venezuelans Johan Jose Rangel Martinez and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos have been charged in connection to the crimes.

Prior to that the death of nursing student Laken Riley allegedly at the hands of migrant Jose Ibarra prompted Riley's father to describe her killing as a 'rallying call' for secure borders.

Similarly, the grieving family of mom-of-five Rachel Morin blamed Biden's border policy for her death.

Morin's naked body was found on a Maryland hiking trail almost a year ago.

Prosecutors claim illegal migrant Victor Martinez Hernandez, 23, lay in wait hiding for her before carrying out the sick attack.

The issue has become a flashpoint ahead of the November election and a cornerstone of Donald Trump's campaign.

The presidential hopeful has vowed to deport millions of migrants who entered the US illegally if elected.

However, several studies have indicated that migrants are less likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans.

One study by Stanford economist Ran Abramitzky found that immigrants are 30 percent less likely to be incarcerated than are white, US-born individuals.