DOWNERS GROVE, IL — A Darien woman faces felony charges after police say she “instigated an altercation” with a couple who were wearing Palestine shirts in a Downers Grove Panera Bread.
Alexandra Szustakiewicz, 64, of the 1700 block of Boulder Drive, was charged with two counts of hate crime and one count of disorderly conduct in connection with Saturday’s incident.
Police were called to the Panera at 7361 Lemont Road around 11:58 a.m. for a report of disorderly conduct and battery. According to Deputy Chief James McGreal, a police report indicates Szustakiewicz shouted expletives and started a physical confrontation with the couple.
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A video circulating online appears to show the incident, with a woman throwing coffee at a man in a “Palestine” shirt, who pleads with the woman to “get away from [his] wife.”
Szustakiewicz is accused of trying to hit a cellphone out of the woman’s hand when she started to film, according to DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office. A complaint alleges that Szustakiewicz “committed a hate crime by reason of perceived national origin.”
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McGreal said Downers Grove police reviewed witness statements and “available video evidence” before charges were filed.
“Every member of society, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or any other individual characteristic, deserves to be treated with respect and civility,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.
Berlin added, “This type of behavior and the accompanying prejudice have no place in a civilized society and my office stands ready to file the appropriate charges in such cases.”
Szustakiewicz is set to appear in court Dec. 16.
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