A 38-year-old man was in custody Sunday and charges were pending against him for allegedly spray painting three buildings in Little Village with swastikas and “ICE rules” graffiti, police sources said.
Hate crime charges filed against suspect in ‘ICE rules’ vandalism in Little Village
The man turned himself in to authorities after he saw still surveillance images of himself in media reports related to the graffiti, a police source said. The man does not have a previous criminal record in Illinois, according to his arrest report.
Owners of the grocery store La Fruteria and the staff at two community organizations in the predominantly Mexican neighborhood found their buildings vandalized between July 19 and July 20. Police released images and a description of the suspect late Friday night. Surveillance cameras showed he had short black hair and wore a black T-shirt with four squared logos on the front, blue denim pants and black gym shoes with white soles, police said.
One of the buildings vandalized belonged to the nonprofit Latinos Progresando, which provides community services including legal services and education on immigration matters. Chief Programs Officer Nubia Willman said their CEO contacted police to document the crime and then they washed off the swastika as soon as they could Saturday morning.
“There is a purpose when you use a swastika. That is a specific symbol with an intent to create intimidation and fear,” Willman said. “Our immigrant community, our Mexican community, Latino community, has really been targeted lately. And so to come to a predominantly Mexican neighborhood and graffiti with a criminal or hate symbol, you can’t really do anything but assume an intent to create fear.”
Police Department representatives said Sunday the investigation into the man was still underway.
