A teenager has been charged with a hate crime after saying anti-gay slurs during a recent South Side armed robbery of two young men.
On Jan. 13, at 10:45 a.m., two males ages 19 and 21 were victims of an armed robbery with a handgun at 1951 E. 79th St.
Two suspects were brought into custody. One of the suspects, a 17-year-old male, was released without charge. However, a 14-year-old male was charged with three counts of armed robbery with a handgun, as well as being charged with a hate crime.
According to Chicago Police Department News Affairs Officer JoAnn Taylor, the 14-year-old was charged with a hate crime for using anti-gay slurs during the robbery.
When asked if the incident was at all related to the recent South Side shooting of six men at a New Year’s Eve party attended by mostly gay males, Taylor told Windy City Times, ‘We are looking at them as two separate incidents at this time.’