Chicago man charged with hate crimes in Lombard

A Chicago man is being held in DuPage County on $50,000 bail after being accused of hate crimes toward three black men and a Hispanic man.

Ranferi Basilo, 32, is charged with two counts of felony hate crimes and misdemeanor charges of aggravated assault using a deadly weapon and criminal damage to property.

Prosecutors said the four victims entered the 7-Eleven on the 800 block of South Westmore Avenue in Lombard Thursday afternoon, when Basilo, who also was a customer in the store, began yelling racial slurs at the men.

As the men attempted to leave the store, prosecutors say, Basilo pulled out a “long-bladed knife” and followed them, still shouting the slurs.

As the men ran away, Basilo yelled “I'm going to slash all four tires!” and then proceeded to do exactly that to the car the men arrived in, prosecutors said.

“Let me be perfectly clear, any crime driven by hate, with the intent to harm, intimidate or instill fear in another, will be met with the full force and effect of the law,” DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said after Basilo's bail hearing. “Hate crimes, and the accompanying prejudice that fuels these despicable actions, have no place in our society and will not be tolerated in DuPage County.”

Basilo's next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 4 before Judge John Kinsella.