Man threatens to shoot Muslim men he says don’t belong in America, Illinois cops say
A man is accused of threatening to shoot two Muslim men during an unprovoked verbal attack, Illinois officials say.
Larry York, 46, was arrested on hate crime charges following the Tuesday, Oct. 17, incident outside an apartment complex in Lombard, according to the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office.
He is accused of approaching a Muslim man who was waiting for a friend in his car.
“York approached the vehicle and asked the victim what he was doing there and then began swearing at the man and telling him he did not belong in this country and to leave,” the state’s attorney’s office said in an Oct. 19 news release.
When the second Muslim man exited the complex, York swore at him and threatened to beat him, officials said.
The friends were later seated on a bench outside the building, and York came toward them again. This time, he lifted the end of the bench, causing one of the men to fall to the ground, according to the state’s attorney’s office.
York said he would call four of his friends over to “shoot the two men,” officers said.
“This is America. Get the ---- out of here,” he is accused of telling the men. “I’ll shoot you, mother-------, get out of here.”
York was arrested at a Lombard bar Wednesday, officials said. While being taken into custody, he made remarks “about Muslims and Arabs,” WGN reported, citing court documents.
He was charged with two counts of hate crime, and a judge denied his pre-trial release from jail. York is due in court Nov. 2, officials said.
“Hate crimes have no place in a civilized society,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said. “The allegations against Mr. York are extremely disturbing and in DuPage County we have no tolerance whatsoever for such vitriolic actions, as alleged in this case.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said in a statement its Chicago branch has seen a large increase of hate incidents since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
“There is widespread palpable apprehension in the community,” said Ahmed Rehab, CAIR-Chicago executive director.
Lombard is about 20 miles west of Chicago.
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