Skokie Man Pleads Guilty To Hate Crime, Gets Probation

SKOKIE, IL — A Skokie man was convicted of a hate crime after admitting he shouted anti-Semitic insults at a Jewish man and damaging his car after spotting him in a parking lot. Despite already being on probation at the time of his arrest, the Skokie Review reported he was sentenced to 30 months of probation due to a request from the victim.

Alvin Dawod, 29, of the 8200 block of Laramie Avenue in Skokie, was arrested May 7 and charged with a hate crime, criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct, police said. Earlier that afternoon, he had approached a man as he walked across a parking lot after leaving a business in the 7900 block of Lincoln Avenue.

The 45-year-old Chicago man he targeted was wearing a yarmulke at the time, according to the Skokie Review. Dawod began shouting what police described as "profane and anti-Semitic" remarks at him before chasing after his car and kicking its rear bumper and causing more than $500 in damage, according to police and prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to one count of felony hate crime and one count of felony criminal damage in exchange for staying out of jail.

In addition to the 30 months of probation, court records show he was sentenced to 120 days with the Cook County Department of Corrections, 40 days with the Cook County Sheriff's work alternative program, a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew, hate crime education, anger management, following all recommendations of a mental health evaluation, alcohol and drug treatment and random drug testing, according to a spokesperson for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. He must also pay $2,250 in restitution and have no contact with the victim.

Ahead of Dawod's sentencing, the Chicago man read a victim impact statement describing the anguish the incident caused him and his family, the Skokie Review reported. He also asked prosecutors and the judge not to send the man to prison. Prosecutors told the Review they had planned on asking for a three-year sentence for Dawod due to him being on probation for a conviction for theft, but they were convinced not to by the man's request for leniency.

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