A suburban man pleads guilty to misdemeanor in anti-Semitic attack case
A suburban man, Adam Erkan, faced a series of hate crime and felony battery charges in connection to an alleged anti-Semitic attack on the DePaul University campus. However, the case was resolved this week when Erkan pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of misdemeanor battery before Judge Tyria Walton. The judge sentenced him to two years of probation and ordered 100 hours of community service. This resolution comes after the filing of the case in April, which was based on allegations from November 6, 2024.
Prosecutors alleged that Erkan was involved in a confrontation with DePaul students who were showing support for Israel during a period of pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus and in Chicago. In a civil lawsuit against the university, student Max Long claimed he suffered a concussion during the confrontation, while another student, Michael Kaminsky, said he sustained a broken wrist.
According to officials, video footage captured Erkan arriving on DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus in a vehicle registered to his father. At the same time, Long was outside the student center wearing a sweatshirt with the message “Curb Your Antisemitism” and holding a sign inviting discussions about Israel with an IDF soldier. Long and Kaminsky had been engaging in conversations about Israel at that location for several months.
During the confrontation, Erkan, wearing a ski mask, and a companion engaged with the men. It escalated when Erkan’s companion knocked Long unconscious, and Erkan allegedly pushed Kaminsky to the ground when he tried to intervene.
Court records indicate that Erkan had no prior criminal history.
