Bloomingdale man charged with hate crime

A Bloomingdale man has been charged with a hate crime and misdemeanor criminal damage to property after authorities said he yelled racial slurs and threatened a female Lyft driver.

Steven McCuiston, 59, of the 300 block of Torrington, is being held on $25,000 bail.

Authorities said McCuiston was a passenger in the Lyft vehicle around 1:50 a.m. Friday when he began yelling slurs at the female driver. The victim stopped her car, got out and called 911.

McCuiston then climbed over the driver's seat, authorities said, followed the woman out of the car, yelled another slur and threatened her.

He then tried to punch the woman and struck her in the shoulder. He also ripped off an outside door handle as well as the interior handle of the vehicle.

He was taken into custody by Bloomingdale police who responded to the 911 call.

"The allegations against Mr. McCuiston are just despicable," DuPage County State's Attorney Bob Berlin said in a written statement. "Hate crimes and the accompanying prejudice have no place in a civilized society and anyone accused of such behavior will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."

"All of us, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or any other individual characteristic, deserve to be treated with dignity and civility," Bloomingdale Director of Public Safety Frank Giammarese said. "My office stands ready, along with the state's attorney's office, to fully investigate any crime driven by hate that is intended to harm, intimidate or instill fear in another."

McCuiston's next court appearance is scheduled for April 1.