A woman has been arrested and charged with hate crimes after police said a gay pride flag was intentionally set ablaze outside a Manhattan restaurant in the middle of the night.
Firefighters and police responded to Little Prince restaurant in Soho around 1:30 a.m. Monday for reports of a fire. Flames caused some minor damage to the front of the restaurant, but no injuries were reported.
A camera setup inside a neighboring building appeared to catch the alleged arsonist jump out of a car and ignite the flag outside the French restaurant with a lighter before running off.
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After the NYPD released surveillance photos, the suspect was caught on Tuesday. Angelina Cando faces three hate crime charges including arson, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment. It was not clear if the 30-year-old Manhattan resident had an attorney.
“Hate in SoHo: Last night this person set fire to the pride flag hanging outside Little Prince restaurant, causing the front of the restaurant to go up in flames,” NYC Council Member Erik Bottcher tweeted alongside apparent video of the incident.
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Community members gathered around 11 a.m. Monday to raise another pride flag at the restaurant.
