Two men shouted ethnic epithets and damaged a van Thursday as officers watched in front of a police station, authorities said.

Andrew Heppner, 18, and Anthony Eick, 20, both of Naperville, Ill., were charged with third-degree criminal mischief.

According to Iowa City police, Eick and Heppner asked officers for a lighter outside the police station. When police refused, the two walked across the street.

They started shouting ethnic epithets and profanity toward people in a van and started kicking the doors to the van, officers said.

Officers intervened and both defendants ran, ignoring calls to stop. They were caught a short distance later, police reports show.

The van, a rental vehicle for a band playing locally, sustained large dents in the side, amounting to approximately $500 in damage.

Third-degree criminal mischief is an aggravated misdemeanor, punishable by up to two years in prison and a maximum fine of $6,250.

— by Regina Zilbermints