Lombard man charged with hate crime, allegedly threatened to shoot 2 Muslim men, prosecutors say

LOMBARD, Ill. (WLS) -- A Lombard man has been charged with a hate crime after he allegedly threatened to shoot two men Tuesday evening because they are Muslim, prosecutors said.

The suspect, 46-year-old Larry York, has been charged with two felony hate crime charges, the DuPage County State Attorney's Office announced Thursday.

"Hate crimes have no place in a civilized society," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a news release. "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."

Prosecutors said York approached the car of one of the victims around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday as it was parked in the parking lot of the Point West apartment complex in Lombard. York began to swear at the man, told him to return to his country and punched the window of the vehicle.

York then entered the lobby of the apartment complex where he encountered the second victim, prosecutors said. He also yelled at the second man, and threatened to beat him.

Prosecutors said York then continued to harass the men in the parking lot and threatened to call four of his friends to come and shoot the two men.

"The Village of Lombard is a proudly diverse community," Lombard Chief of Police Tom Wirsing said in a news release. "The alleged behaviors and threat of violence made by Larry York are absolutely unacceptable and have no place within our community. Residents should remain vigilant against hate crimes and similar conduct and we would encourage anyone who experiences or witnesses a hate incident to report it to the Lombard Police Department."

Lombard police said York was arrested Wednesday at a bar in Lombard.

York is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 2 for a hearing.

Council on American Islamic Relations Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab issued a statement Thursday:

"We thank law enforcement for swiftly apprehending and charging the suspect in this disturbing incident. 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."