Man charged with hate crime in cross burning in Chicago park

The 21-year-old man was arrested on two felony hate crime counts and other counts in connection with the cross, which was set on fire in Grant Park on June 9, police said.

A 21-year-old man who admitted setting fire to a cross in a Chicago park last week was in custody Wednesday on hate crime charges, Chicago police said.

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Merlin Lu was arrested Monday on four felony counts and four misdemeanor counts related to the incident on June 9, in which he is alleged to have “committed a hate crime by starting a fire that caused damage to city property,” police said in a statement Wednesday.

The large cross was found burning in Grant Park, prompting police to search for the perpetrator and release a photo of the man they said was responsible.