Suspect on bond for hours-earlier carjacking accused in brutal Chinatown beating, carjacking in April: prosecutors say

A judge Saturday denied bail for an 18-year-old man who prosecutors say beat, robbed and carjacked 61-year-old Jin Yut Lew, leaving him for dead in the Chinatown area in April.

Lew, who was left permanently disabled after the attack, is still not doing well and needs round-the-clock care, according to police.

Termaine D. Patterson, 18, appeared before Cook County Judge Maryam Ahmad after being charged with attempted murder, aggravated vehicular hijacking, armed robbery and illegal use of a credit card.

According to Ahmad, Patterson was on bond for another unrelated carjacking - which happened an hour and a half prior to the April attack of Lew.

Patterson’s family joined the courtroom via zoom as they listened to the prosecution recount the incidents that unfolded on the morning of April 7.

At approximately 4:45 a.m. city workers found Lew, lying in the street in the 2500 block of South Princeton Avenue and called 911.

Lew, who was driving a black SUV was approached by a blue vehicle that Patterson admitted to stealing shortly before the attack, according to prosecutors.

Though police said the beating was not captured on video, Patterson and at least two other people were seen on video going through his pockets, taking his keys and a credit card which officers recounted via surveillance videos.

Patterson and the others allegedly punched Lew in the head with fists and feet before fleeing in Lew’s 2008 Lexus SUV, leaving him in the street.

Lew was taken to the hospital with multiple skull fractures, a brain bleed, and severe swelling to the head, prosecutors said.

The next day, he was reported missing by his family and was later identified as Lew.

Patterson, who was scheduled to finish high school in January, was also seen on surveillance entering a Shell gas station while wearing a mask, prosecutors said.

After he pulled it down at one point, revealing his face, he made a $20 purchase with Lew’s credit card, prosecutors said.

Later that day, Patterson, who was wearing the same clothing from what was seen on surveillance at the gas station, went into North Riverside Park Mall and made a purchase of approximately $49, also with Lew’s card, according to prosecutors.

An officer processed palm prints that matched those from Lew’s vehicle and Patterson identified himself in still photos of himself inside the vehicle and admitted to stealing it.

“When you have someone so young facing these types of charges and is already on bond for possession of another stolen motor vehicle in this court, [Patterson] presents a real and present danger to the community,” Ahmad said.

Patterson is due back in court on September 30.

“Lew is still not doing well,” Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said at a Friday evening news conference at police headquarters, 3510 S. Michigan Ave., to announce the charges against Patterson. “He needs 24-hour care.”

Three others are still being sought, Deenihan said.

A juvenile was also arrested in connection with the case, but was charged only with possession of a stolen motor vehicle after he was found a few days after the attack in Lew’s SUV, Deenihan said.

Ald. Nicole T. Lee, 11th, who briefly spoke at the news conference, said the attack happened a block from her house.

“We were so glad when an arrest was made,” Lee said.

Deenihan revealed more details of the attack during the Friday evening news conference.

After his family reported him missing, police were able to use video surveillance of that area and found he’d been followed by a vehicle that had been carjacked, Deenihan said.

Four people were inside that car, which was also seen fleeing after video showed people running near Lew’s SUV and then leaving the scene in it.

“We realized Lew was robbed of all his belongings and car too,” said Deenihan.

Detectives used license plate readers and tracked both vehicles, eventually finding them and figuring out where Lew’s credit card was used, Deenihan said.

Eventually, video captured some of their faces, and based on the locations of Lew’s vehicle, police “placed” the attackers in the area, Deenihan said.

Lew’s family prayed for his recovery, but he suffered a coma and severe and career-ending brain injuries, according to his family and police at the time.

“We’re praying for him to get out soon,” said Alford Lew, 35, who spoke of his family’s agony on the phone in the waiting room of Stroger Hospital a few days after his father was hospitalized.

As they hoped for his recovery, Alford Lew reflected on his dad’s hardworking life as a chef.

“As a father, he provided all he could to ensure my brother and I got a good education. In the Chinese restaurant community, he was a well-respected head chef who over 40 years gave many new immigrants their first starts and trained them in his kitchen,” the son said, according to a GoFundMe site organized by relatives, which had raised more than $100,000 as of Friday night.