Utica man charged with hate crime: Called store clerks 'terrorists,' attempted to set fire

A 51-year-old Utica man is facing attempted assault and arson charges elevated to a hate crime after he allegedly entered a store in Oneida Square, called store clerks terrorists and sprayed what he believed to be a flammable liquid on the clerks and the store, then tried to light it on fire, the Utica Police Department said in a statement. 

Police said Ronald Rickard has been charged with second-degree attempted assault and second-degree attempted arson after he entered a convenience store at 1321 Oneida St. just after 2:30 p.m. Jan. 28 and began to harass the clerks.  

Police said both charges included the hate crime enhancement "due to the nature of the threats and actions Rickard allegedly participated in." Rickard kept yelling at the clerks, accusing them of being terrorists, police said, and saying they "should burn." 

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Police said no one was injured and a nearby police officer was able to take Rickard into custody without incident a short distance from the store.  

The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations released a statement in response to the charges, supporting their elevation to being considered a hate crime.

“We welcome the charges against the suspected perpetrator of this horrific crime as a sign that bigoted violence will not be tolerated in our society,” said CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher in a statement.