CHICAGO (CBS) — A 64-year-old woman from Chicago’s western suburbs is charged with hate crimes after an altercation on Saturday.
Alexandra Szustakiewicz, 64, of Darien, Illinois, was charged with two counts of hate crime and one count of disorderly conduct.
Just before noon, Downers Grove police responded to a disturbance call at Panera Bread in the 7000 block of Lemont Road.
Police said Szustakiewicz confronted a man and shouted profanities “over his sweatshirt with ‘Palestine’ written on it.” Police said the suspect also tried to knock a cellphone out of the hands of a woman who was with the man when she began filming the interaction.
“According to the complaint filed against Szustakiewicz, she allegedly ‘committed a hate crime due to the perceived national origin’ of the two victims,” police said in a written statement.
Officers took Szustakiewicz into custody the next day without incident. Szustakiewicz was released and is not allowed to enter the Panera Bread where the incident occurred.
The suspect must appear in court again on December 16.
A number of incidents involving Palestinian expressions being targeted have been reported in Chicago, including: Palestinian cafe on the north side of Chicago, that says it was destroyed twice. Moreover, there have also been several anti-Semitic incidents in the urban area, including the phrase “Death to Israel” is displayed on a digital billboard last month.
Eric Henderson contributed to this report.
