3 men charged after threatening Chicago TV news crew near Adler Planetarium: police

3 men charged after threatening Chicago TV news crew near Adler Planetarium: police

Three men have been charged after authorities said they threatened a Chicago television news crew preparing for a live report near Adler Planetarium on Monday, including one suspect who faces a felony hate crime charge.

CHICAGO - Three men have been charged after authorities said they threatened a Chicago television news crew preparing for a live report near Adler Planetarium on Monday, including one suspect who faces a felony hate crime charge.

The backstory:

The incident happened just before 4:30 p.m. in the 900 block of East Solidarity Drive as a reporter and photographer from CBS News Chicago were preparing for the station's 4 p.m. newscast.

According to Chicago police, one of the suspects shouted racial slurs and ordered a dog to attack a 54-year-old member of the news crew. The dog did not attack, police said.

Authorities said the suspect then threw the victim's property to the ground, damaging it. No injuries were reported.

The suspects fled in a white pickup truck, prompting a police pursuit that ended near West 36th Street and South California Avenue in the Brighton Park neighborhood. Officers arrested three men and recovered a rifle, police said.

Suspects charged:

Those charged are:

• William Huerta, 41, of Chicago Ridge, who is charged with felony fleeing or attempting to elude police, two misdemeanor counts of aggravated assault, misdemeanor reckless driving, misdemeanor leaving the scene of an accident and multiple traffic violations.
• Rafael Salinas, 29, of Chicago, who is charged with felony aggravated battery of a peace officer, felony criminal damage to property between $10,000 and $100,000, misdemeanor reckless conduct and misdemeanor resisting or obstructing a peace officer. Police also said Salinas had two outstanding warrants.
• Jon Twist, 37, of Chicago, who is charged with felony hate crime, felony criminal damage to property between $500 and $10,000 and misdemeanor resisting or obstructing a peace officer.

What's next:

All three men are scheduled to appear in court for detention hearings on July 2.