The incident was apparently recorded on video. It happened early Sunday morning in the 3400-block of North Sheffield , where Clark, Newport and Sheffield intersect.
The four men spent Monday in Cook County Jail after the judge set a high bond. They are accused of attacking several people, but their relatives say they were only in the Wrigleyville area to make a rap video -- that's when things got out of hand.
Thirty-two-year-old Corry Simmons, along with 31-year-old Donald Robinson Jr. and his cousin of the same age, Edward Robinson, face several felony charges including mob action and aggravated battery. Simmons has also been charged with resisting arrest.
Their friend, 32-year-old Alvin Goffin, only faces one count of mob action.
A judge ordered the Robinsons, who are both out on parole, and Simmons held on $400,000 bond. Goffin received a $250,000 bond.
During Monday's bond hearing, prosecutors accused the four men of jumping out of the white stretch limo they had borrowed from a friend and then began beating people "for no apparent reason."
Three men -- all in their 20s -- and an off-duty Chicago police officer who tried to intervene were hurt. Witnesses say one of the men had his jaw broken during the attacks.
But the relatives of the accused say the violence began when the four came under attack themselves. The group was in the neighborhood to shoot a music video called "Take a Sip."
"Some guys were taunting them, making racial slurs...one of the guys actually kind of grabbed Corry Simmons' rear," said Lillian Nichols, the mother of one defendant.
Edward Robinson, who is also known as "Chicago Maverick," has produced videos before and chose the popular North Side area to record because of its active nightlife.
And, although family and friends admit the men have made bad choices in the past, they say the performers write songs meant to warn teens not to make the same mistakes they have and can't imagine the four would have purposely done wrong.
"It's basically a big misunderstanding," said Rosiland Young, the mother of one of the defendants. "This shouldn't have happened like the way it did."
Police say the person who recorded the attacks was not arrested. Relatives of those accused say video of the incident will prove they are innocent.
