Three Teens Charged In Downtown Hate Crime

Three teenagers were charged with a felony hate crime and a misdemeanor count of aggravated assault in a public place Friday after they were accused of making derogatory remarks and threatening a man near Millennium Park downtown on Thursday night.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the victim contacted police around 8 p.m. after the three teens came into contact with him at the Metra station located in the 100 block of North Michigan Avenue. According to a News Affairs Officer who spoke with the Sun-Times, "their comments were in violation of the hate crime statute," though the officer did not confirm whether the comments were anti-gay in nature.

The three teens -- Mack Heard, 17; Kenneth L. Towner, 18 and a 14-year-old boy -- reportedly did not physically harm the victim, as they fled after he called police, but they were apprehended near the 600 block of North Michigan Avenue shortly after the incident took place.

The Chicago Tribune has a slightly different version of events, as they say police indicated that the teens were "making anti-gay comments."