Lombard man facing hate crime charges against Muslim victims denied pretrial release

A Lombard man has been charged with committing a hate crime, accused of assaulting two people because they are Muslim.

Pretrial release was denied on Thursday for Larry York, 46, of the 1300 block of Finley Road.

DuPage County Assistant State's Attorney Alyssa Rabulinski said around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, the first victim, a man, had driven to the apartment building where York lives to visit a friend.

York allegedly approached the man's car, knocked repeatedly on a passenger window, asked the man what he was doing there, and then told the man he didn't belong there and should leave America, according to Rabulinski.

Rabulinski said York then went into the building and - as the man's friend got off an elevator and tried to exit - he yelled profanities at the victim and threatened to slam the door in his face.

Then, when the victims were at a bench outside the apartment building, York yelled profanities at them and said, "I'll shoot you. Get out of here," and "Go, go (expletive) ... This is America ... get the (expletive) out of here," according to Rabulinski.

York told the victims he was going to have four friends come over to shoot them, according to Rabulinski.

He lifted one end of the bench, causing one of the victims to fall off.

York was arrested the next day, Rabulinski said. She said he told police that "World War III was coming and he had to protect his building from Muslims and Arabs" and that he "knew they didn't belong because they were dark-skinned Muslims." He also told police the victims were spies, she said.

"In this country, there is no question people of Muslim and Jewish faith are under pressure unfairly," Rabulinski said in court on Thursday. "The two victims did not deserve what happened."

York interrupted the prosecutor, saying, "I have Muslim friends."

Judge George Ford told him four times during the hearing not to speak.

Rabulinski said that, along with York's record of accusations of probation violation on a DUI case, revocation of supervision on a cannabis case, a conviction for battery, and an accusation he has violated an order of protection, showed he was at risk of not obeying any conditions the judge would place on him.

York's attorney, assistant public defender Michael Orescanin, argued he was a moderate risk, that York had arranged to live with a person in Wood Dale, and that his client could wear an alcohol monitor. He said York was intoxicated at the time, thought the victims were trying to enter the building illegally, and that, perhaps, the victims instigated the conflict.

Orescanin said of the alleged assault, "These were essentially words."

But Ford said, "These were words that were also followed by actions."

York's next court date is Nov. 2.