A 29-year-old Lake Forest man was charged Tuesday with a hate crime for allegedly threatening customers and employees of Iranian descent at a hookah lounge.
Andrew Alan Carruthers was charged with one felony criminal threats charge, as well as misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest and committing a civil rights violation, with a sentence-enhancing hate crime allegation.
Carruthers allegedly harassed customers at the BluFig Hookah Lounge in Lake Forest last Friday night, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Nichols. She said he was asked to leave, but kept returning.
At some point, he threatened to kill customers and employees at the lounge, prompting a patron to call 911, Nichols alleged.
Carruthers ran away from Orange County sheriff’s deputies before surrendering, according to Nichols, who said he has tattoos associated with white supremacist gangs.
Carruthers could face up to six years in prison if convicted.
–City News Service