Racism continues to ruin lives in Illinois: Man stabs elderly woman 'because she was black'

© Homewood police

Pol Danilov

Police are investigating the stabbing of an elderly woman in a Chicago-area grocery as a hate crime.

The 79-year-old victim was hospitalized after witnesses said another shopper attacked her Friday morning near the pharmacy inside Walt's Food Center in Homewood.

The assailant, identified by police as 26-year-old Pol Danilov, stabbed the woman four times in the neck and chest, puncturing her lung, with a five-inch steak knife.

Danilov stayed at the store after the attack, and police said he admitted to targeting the woman because she was black and vulnerable due to her age.

Police said Danilov has a history of animosity toward black people, although he has no prior criminal record. Surveillance video shows Danilov suddenly attack the woman without exchanging any words with the victim, reported WLS-TV.

Danilov, who lives near the grocery with his mother, was charged with attempted first-degree murder and a hate crime. The victim is expected to recover from her injuries, police said.