Woman Charged With Hate Crime for Setting Bistro’s Pride Flag Ablaze

The New York City Police arrested and charged a 30-year-old woman in connection to an arson attack outside the Little Prince restaurant in Manhattan, police said on Wednesday.

Angelina Cando allegedly jumped out of a vehicle in front of the establishment and caught a Pride flag on fire. Police made the arrest on Tuesday night.

Authorities responded to the scene around 1:30 a.m. on Monday after they received reports of a fire. Police said no injuries were reported. The front of the restaurant did suffer some damage.

Cando faces three hate crimes charges including arson, criminal mischief, and reckless endangerment, according to police. It's unclear if police will also bring charges against the driver of the vehicle Cando was in.

Out New York City Council Member Erik Bottcher posted about the arson attack on Twitter the day it happened, including surveillance video that filmed the incident. On Wednesday, he took to Twitter again to thank the police for investigating the crime.

“Thank you to [NYPD] for the swift apprehension of the person who set fire the pride flag and Little Prince restaurant. Anyone who is contemplating attacks against the LGBTQ community, or any marginalized group, should know they will be held accountable,” he wrote.

After the arson attack on Monday, Bottcher went to Little Prince and put up a new flag. He’d posted video of the attack hours earlier. Bottcher represents parts of Manhattan.

“The person who did this, the plan has backfired and backfired badly,” he told a small crowd and reporters as he hung up the new flag.