Man Charged With Hate Crime In Case Of Defaced Loop Synagogue

By Emma G. Gallegos in News on Feb 8, 2017 10:00PM

A man has been charged with a hate crime after he allegedly smashed the window of a Loop synagogue and defaced the property with swastika stickers, according to police.

Stuart Wright, 31, was arrested Tuesday morning as he was leaving a residence in the 2100 block of South Loomis in Pilsen, according to a release. Police said he was identified from surveillance video that shows the crime as well as anonymous information from a tip line.

Wright was charged with one felony count of committing a hate crime against a synagogue and another felony count for criminal damage. The American Jewish Committee, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago all spoke out against the incident, which happened just after midnight on Saturday.

The AJC praised the arrest on Wednesday. "This act of anti-Semitism was meant to threaten the community, but it brought together the Muslim, Christian, and Jewish communities with a renewed purpose to stand together against such hate,” AJC Chicago Director Amy Stoken said in a statement. “Our community has been heartened by the overwhelming show of solidarity and we will continue to stand together with the understanding that no one community is safe unless all communities are safe.”

There's been an uptick in hate crimes and anti-semitism around the country and the city, including at the University of Chicago, Beverly and the South Loop.