Man pleads not guilty to hate crime charge after prosecutors say he threatened hookah bar patrons
A 29-year-old man with white supremacist tattoos has pleaded not guilty to a hate crime and civil rights charges for allegedly threatening to kill customers and employees of Iranian descent inside a Lake Forest hookah lounge.
Orange County prosecutors say Andrew Alan Carruthers “acted aggressively” toward customers at the BluFig Hookah Lounge Friday about 9 p.m. and was asked to leave but kept returning.
Carruthers then allegedly threatened to kill customers and employees at the lounge, prompting a patron to call 911. Carruthers ran from Orange County sheriff’s deputies before surrendering on Lake Forest Boulevard. When arrested, Carruthers was wearing a T-shirt with an expletive and the word “ISIS,” an abbreviation often used for Islamic State. His Facebook page includes images of tattoos, including “Hate Boy” across his chest.
Carruthers entered the plea Tuesday in Orange County Superior Court. He is charged with felony threats, misdemeanor resisting arrest, obstructing an officer and violating civil rights. With sentencing enhancements for a hate crime, Caruthers could face up to six years in prison if convicted.
Twitter: @lacrimes
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