Prosecutors filed a hate crime charge Wednesday against a woman who allegedly threw a cocktail glass at a River North bartender late last year. It happened around 2:30 a.m. on November 7 at The Underground, 56 West Illinois, according to CPD records and prosecutors.
The female bartender was wearing a Star of David necklace when Sara Abdulrasoul, 30, began talking with her, Assistant State’s Attorney Loukas Kalliantasis said.
Abdulrasoul said the bartender was a “ho” in Abdulrasoul’s country, and she used “offensive language” to tell the bartender to take off the necklace, Kalliantasis continued.
The bartender replied that she went to school in Israel, but Abdulrasoul responded by calling her “derogatory terms” and again told her to take off the necklace, according to Kalliantasis.
He said the bartender apologized and said she did not intend to upset Abdulrasoul.
But Abdulrasoul continued, saying she hates Jews and again telling the bartender to take off the necklace, Kalliantasis alleged.
Abdulrasoul went on to say the bartender’s people were killing her people and then threw the drink glass at the woman, striking her in the collarbone area, Kalliantasis said.
The bartender notified security, but Abdulrasoul left before the bouncers could find her, he said.
Later, a bar manager pulled up security video of the incident and found Abdulrasoul’s picture on LinkedIn. The bartender confirmed that she was the woman who threw the drink glass, Kalliantasis said. She also allegedly identified Abdulrasoul in a photo line-up.
Abdulrasoul surrendered to police with her attorney on Monday.
Private defense lawyer David Gaeger said Abdulrasoul is a registered pharmacist who was the salutatorian of her class at Chicago State University.
Prosecutors charged her with one count of hate crime.
Judge Susana Ortiz released Abdulrasoul on her own recognizance. The judge also ordered her not to consume alcohol or other intoxicating substances while on bail.
