Alexandra Szustakiewicz, 64, was arrested and charged with two felony counts of hate crime after a video showed her attempting to throw hot coffee on a pregnant woman and her partner because they were wearing "Palestine" sweatshirts.
On Saturday, Szustakiewicz hurled verbal assaults at Waseem Zahran and his pregnant partner for wearing "Palestine" sweatshirts at a Panera Bread in Downers Grove, Illinois.
After Zahran shielded his partner from a cup of hot coffee while repeatedly asking Szustakiewicz to stop, she slapped him and continued charging at his partner.
"She started saying how 'it's my land'—about Palestine—'not your land. This is America. You can't wear that hoodie,'" Zahran told FOX 32.
'F*** Palestine': Woman attacks couple over Palestine hoodie
— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) November 18, 2024
A woman attacked a couple at a Panera Bread café in Chicago, Illinois, reportedly targeting them over a hoodie supporting Palestine. She used her keys to assault them and threatened to throw hot coffee at them while… pic.twitter.com/5uMiK5ijYZ
He added that none of the customers or employees attempted to step in during the minutes-long assault.
"Right after the incident happened, the Panera Bread workers went to her and comforted her," Zahran told Middle East Monitor. "[The Panera employees] took her behind the counter and kind of listened to her side of the story, helped clean her up."
Szustakiewicz fled the scene before police arrived but was arrested at her home in Darien, Illinois, on Sunday. She was charged with two felony counts of hate crime and one count of disorderly conduct.
She is being held in DuPage County Jail and will appear in court Monday.
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