An Illinois man is facing hate crime charges after police say he verbally abused and threatened to shoot two Muslim men.
Authorities say around 8:30 p.m. on the night of Oct. 17, Larry York, 46, approached one of the victims while he was waiting for his friend in a car outside an apartment building.
York began swearing at the man and told him to leave the country before punching his car window then walking away. When York entered the lobby, the second victim was exiting the elevator. Authorities say York began swearing at him and threatened to beat him.
York later approached the men while they were sitting on a bench outside the building then proceeded to lift the opposite side of the bench, twice, causing the men to fall to the ground.
York also threatened the men saying, “‘f**k you f***ing Muslim motherf*****s. This is America. Get the f*** out of here. I’ll shoot you, motherf****s, get out of here,’” according to a news release from the County of DuPage.
York made his first appearance in court on Thursday, where he was charged with two counts of Hate Crime, a Class 4 Felony.
“We thank law enforcement for swiftly apprehending and charging the suspect in this disturbing incident,” Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) said in the statement. “This is a standard to follow if we are to stand a chance of deterrence. CAIR-Chicago has been inundated with hate incidents not seen since 9/11. There is widespread palpable apprehension in the community.”
The incident comes days after another Illinois man was charged with murder and hate crimes after fatally stabbing a 6-year-old boy and seriously injuring his mother because they were Muslim.
