Woman nabbed for burning gay pride rainbow flag outside SoHo restaurant, charged with hate crime

The woman caught on video burning a gay pride rainbow flag outside a SoHo restaurant has been nabbed, police said Wednesday.

Angelina Cando, 30, was busted Tuesday — her third arrest in less than a month — and charged with arson, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment, all as hate crimes.

The ponytailed Cando was caught on video getting out of a white SUV 1:30 a.m. Monday in front of Little Prince, a French restaurant on Prince St. near MacDougal St., then using a lighter to set fire to the flag, police said.

She was then seen getting back into the SUV, driven by someone else, and getting away.

There were no injuries but there were workers inside the restaurant, which quickly filled with smoke. The fire also damaged the restaurant’s front awning but was quickly put out by firefighters.

Later that day, City Councilman Eric Bottcher replaced the burned flag, which was adorned with the words “Make America Gay Again,” with a new flag celebrating gay and trans pride.

Cando, who lives a half-mile away, was arrested Jan. 30 for an incident involving a 67-year-old relative inside their apartment. Police said she threw a plate and glass at him and struck him with a guitar. Cando was charged with assault, criminal mischief and criminal obstruction of breathing.

She was released without bail after her arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court then arrested again on Feb. 2 for threatening a man with a knife inside a pizzeria on Stanton St. on the Lower East Side.

Police said she stepped inside to get warm, then wound up arguing with a customer and grabbing a knife from behind the counter. She was charged with menacing, weapons possession and harassment and again released without bail after appearing in court.

In 2019, a rainbow flag was set afire outside a Harlem gay bar twice in a little more than a month, once in June, Pride Month, and once in early July.

A 20-year-old man was later arrested for both incidents at the Alibi Lounge on Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. near W. 139th St.

Reports of hate crimes citywide are way down this year compared with last, according to the most recent NYPD data.

So far this year through Feb. 12, 39 people have reported bias-related crimes to the NYPD. The figure is a 43.5% decline from the corresponding period last year that saw 69 hate crimes.