Detroit police said on Monday that they are looking into the possibility that last week's mob attack on a 54-year-old motorist was a hate crime.
"We are looking at all aspects. That's one issue, the issue of race, is being looked at," Detroit Police Chief James Craig said, according to Fox News.
Last Wednesday Steve Utash, a white male of age 54, left his pickup truck to help a 10-year-old boy he'd accidentally hit. He was attacked after leaving his car by a large group of roughly a dozen men in broad daylight.
CNN reports that Utash sustained significant injuries, including a swollen brain, and is currently in a coma. Utash, a tree-trimmer, has no medical insurance and his family says they've accrued more than $120,000 in medical bills.
Four men, including two teenagers, have been arrested in connection with the crime, and police expect to bring in more men. The names of the two adult men have not been made public.
City leaders have condemned the attack and are calling for the other men responsible to come forward, and police are hinting that there will be more arrests to come.