Angelina Cando, 30, facing charges for setting Pride flag on fire outside Little Prince restaurant in SoHo
By ZINNIA MALDONADO
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NEW YORK, NY (WCBS) — Police say a woman seen on video setting a Pride flag on fire outside a Manhattan restaurant has been arrested.
Investigators say a tip helped identify the suspect, who lives about 10 minutes away from the crime scene.
Surveillance video showed a white SUV pull up to Little Prince restaurant around 1:30 a.m. Monday in SoHo. A woman got out of the vehicle, then took out a lighter and set the Pride flag on fire.
The flames also spread to an apartment above.
Police identified the suspect as 30-year-old Angelina Cando. She was arrested Tuesday on the Lower East Side.
Cando now faces multiple hate crime charges, including arson, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment.
Meanwhile, a new Pride flag has been hung outside the restaurant.
“I’ve always enjoyed my time here, so I think it’s pretty upsetting when someone chooses a belief to affect a business and a community,” West Village resident Angelo Grinceri told CBS2.
“Things like that just can’t be accepted in the America we have now,” West Village resident Theo Rivers said.
“Little Prince is always a place where people can come and be themselves,” said West Village resident Caitlin Jackson. “It was horrible what she did, and I’m really glad that it’s coming full circle and the good is ending up on top.”
Police say Cando was arrested twice earlier this year — once for a domestic dispute, and another for allegedly pulling a knife on someone.
Councilman Erik Bottcher, who hung the new flag Monday, tweeted in part after her arrest, “Anyone who is contemplating attacks against the LGBTQ community, or any marginalized group, should know they will be held accountable.”
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