Crime & Safety
Man Charged With Hate Crime After Threatening Neighbor, Police Say
A man called a neighbor and his daughter racist names and drove his car at the victim, according to the report. An arrest is merely an accusation and not evidence of a conviction.
An incident between neighbors in the 7900 block of Octavia escalated to the point where Michael G. Green, 55, of that block, was charged Feb. 22 with a felony count of a hate crime, in addition to charges of aggravated assault and disorderly conduct.
A Niles police officer responded to a call that day just after 7:30 a.m. and spoke to a 45-year-old man who said Green became verbally abusive when the man parked his car on the street, according to police reports. Green swore at the man, told him to park in his driveway and called him a racial epithet insulting to people of Hispanic ancestry, the report indicated.
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The victim's 21-year-old daughter came outside and, according to the report, Green cursed at her using graphic, insulting sexual and racist language.
The report said Green got into his car, possible a black Honda, and began to drive towards the male victim, who was standing on or near the roadway. The victim asked Green if he intended to run him over; Green allegedy swore at him again, used another racial epithet and told the victim he was going to put a bomb in his car, police said. Green then drove away.
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The victim told police that Green had a pattern of calling him racist names, police said, and had told him in the past he (the victim) should not be living on Green's father's block because he is a (racial epithet).
The victim and his daughter participated in separate photo lineups and both identified Green, according to the report.
Niles Police Officers took Green into custody just before 10 a.m., and Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Goldfarb approved a felony charge of a hate crime.
Green agreed to make a typed voluntary statement, which he signed just after 11 a.m. According to the report, he told police he had been upset about his father's recent medical issues, and went into a rage when he saw the neighbors' car parked across the street from his father's house. He said he probably provoked the incident, admitted the swearing and racial epithets and driving his car at about 15 mph toward the neighbor, turning away about four feet before hitting the man. He denied saying he was going to bomb the victim's vehicle, police said.
His court date is March 11 in the Skokie branch of the Cook County courts.
Information is taken from Niles Police Department reports.
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