A 34-year-old man from Lombard, Illinois, is now facing hate crime charges following an incident that reportedly occurred outside Crave Cookies in the town’s western suburbs last Friday.
According to both employees and the victim, the man hurled racial slurs at them while apparently under the influence of alcohol. Justin Ward, hailing from Lombard, has been charged with a felony hate crime and aggravated battery for his actions, which were captured on video.
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The footage reveals Ward confronting Ahmed Khan, a Muslim American resident of Lombard for over ten years. Authorities report that Ward trailed Khan into Crave Cookies on Roosevelt Road, where Khan filmed Ward shouting racial epithets and allegedly spitting on him.
“I was paralyzed with fear, not wanting to escalate the situation further,” Khan recounted.
Khan described Ward as appearing intoxicated and growing increasingly aggressive towards him and the store employees. The man also reportedly made comments about the conflict in Iran and attempted to provoke a physical confrontation, leaving Khan concerned for his safety.
When police arrived on the scene, Ward fled the area.
“I felt like he was going to slam that glass straight into my face, because any of these decisions can end really horribly,” Khan said.
Police later arrested Ward at his home in Lombard. A judge then granted the state’s motion to deny pre-trail release for Ward, so he will remain behind bars until trial.
“It was actually really shocking. I’ve never had something that racist occur to me,” Khan said. “I want to thank the Lombard Police Department, because they’ve done a lot to help me really fast. I think justice was served really swiftly.”
Khan says it is disturbing to be the victim of a hate crime and is worried about the possible rise of racially motivated attacks against Muslims as the conflict continues overseas.
The Council of American Islamic Relations also responded on Sunday night, saying they welcome the decision to pursue hate crime charges, and they urge other Muslim Americans to remain peaceful while documenting any potential attacks.
“Everyone thinks that Muslims especially will just act really violently, and I just wanted to give an example that we as Muslims don’t do that. We’re not out to fight anyone. We’re not out to cause any issues,” Khan said.
Ward is due in court on April 6.
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