$1 million bond for man charged with hate crime in pellet gun shooting

Bond was set at $1 million Saturday for a man charged with a hate crime for posing as a Chicago Police officer and shooting a man with a pellet gun at a Northwest Side tavern early Friday.

Michael Groh, 45, face one felony count each of committing a hate crime, impersonating a peace officer and aggravated battery with the use of a deadly weapon, Chicago Police said. He was also charged with possessing a replica of a firearm, which is a misdemeanor.

On Friday about 12:50 a.m., police said Groh got into an argument with a 39-year-old man at a bar in the 2900 block of North Pulaski. Groh asked the other man for his citizenship status and his national origin before taking out a pellet gun and shooting the man in the face and the back of the head, police said.

The victim was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in serious condition, police said.

Groh was arrested at the tavern, and the pellet gun was recovered, police said. Officers also found that Groh had two metal badges, handcuffs and a handcuff key. Witnesses told authorities that Groh had identified himself as a Chicago Police officer.

Groh, of the 2900 block of North Keating, was ordered held on a $1 million bond, according to the Cook County sheriff’s office. He is next due in court July 24.