Woman Who Assaulted Palestinian Family At Suburban Panera Bread Has Been Charged

News Update: As an update to a news story previously covered by ChicagoAreaNews, according to multiple news outlets & the Instagram account of Arab Chicago, charges have been filed against a Darien woman for her role in a hate crime attack at a Downers Grove Panera Bread location over the weekend.

The relevant facts are laid out below as provided by Arab Chicago's Instagram account and are quoted as coming from the DuPage County State's Attorney's office:

"DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Downers Grove Chief of Police Michael DeVries announced today that a Darien woman has been charged with Hate Crime following an incident at a Downers Grove Panera Bread last Saturday. Alexandra Szustakiewicz, 64 (d.o.b. 3/24/1960) of the 1700 block of Boulder Drive, appeared in First Appearance Court this morning charged with two counts of Hate Crime (Class 4 Felony) and one count of Misdemeanor Disorderly Conduct. In Court this morning, the State asked for conditions of pre-trial release including no contact with the victims and no entry to the Panera Bread where the incident allegedly occurred, which Judge Joshua Dieden granted.

On November 16, 2024, Downers Grove police responded to a call of a disturbance at the Panera Bread located at 7361 Lemont Road. Following an investigation into the matter, it is alleged that on November 16, 2024, at approximately 11:58 a.m., Szustakiewicz was at the Panera Bread when she confronted and yelled expletives at a man regarding a sweatshirt he was wearing with the word Palestine written on it. It is further alleged that Szustakiewicz attempted to hit a cell phone out of the hands of a woman who was with the man when the woman began videotaping the incident. According to the complaint filed against Szustakiewicz, she allegedly “committed a hate crime by reason of perceived national origin” of the two victims. Officers took Szustakiewicz into custody the following day without incident.

“Every member of society, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or any other individual characteristic, deserves to be treated with respect and civility,” Berlin said. “This type of behavior and the accompanying prejudice have no place in a civilized society and my office stands ready to file the appropriate charges in such cases. I thank the Downers Grove Department for their assistance in securing charges against Ms. Szustakiewicz. I also thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Sandi Tanoue and Nicholas Covert for their efforts on this case as well.”

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