Man steals pride flag, threatens LGBTQ+ community members at Savannah Pride event

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - WTOC is working to get answers about a shocking incident caught on video outside an event celebrating Savannah’s Pride Month.

A man stole a pride flag that was hanging outside, and threatened people this weekend.

The community is on high alert and leaders at the Pride Center are questioning the way police handled this.

“Your days are over, watch yourself...get AIDs and die,” were threats that temporarily interrupted a job fair Saturday aimed at the LGBTQ+ community.

Michael Bell, executive Director of the Savannah Pride Center says they were hosting the event at the Civic Center as a part of their Pride Month Celebrations.

“A guy came on his bike...went up the steps and tore down a pride flag that we had on the front of the building, on the front door, and tried to get away with it when one of our attendees took it back. And that’s where the video begins, where the guy made clear threats to the community,” said Bell.

Threats like, “your days are over.”

“We feared that this guy was going to carry out the threats,” said Bell.

Bell says he remembers the fear he and others felt.

“I yelled at our staff and our volunteers to get back inside right now,” said Bell.

The man did leave after hurling those threats, but later came back once police arrived.

“He comes back. And the issue here is that the police spoke to me for under a minute when this guy started coming towards us again. The police spoke to him, and him only, for about 15-20 minutes and decided to let him go,” said Bell.

Bell says he’s concerned with the way officers handled the situation, given the nature of the threats, and information officers later provided.

“The police officer also identified a Nazi cross that was tattooed on this person as well. And still they let him go,” said Bell.

He says he was shocked by the officers statement.

“I think anybody in this situation would be surprised that when somebody from a known hate group is casting threats towards a marginalized, targeted community, that, that person would be let go,” Bell said.

But despite all of this, he says he won’t let it interfere with their Pride Month celebrations going on all month long.

“This is our Pride Month, you know, and no one is going to keep us from celebrating that and giving our youth, giving our seniors, giving our population a safe place to be their most authentic self,” said Bell.

Bell did add that he was able to speak with Savannah’s Police Chief following this incident, and says SPD is working with the district attorney to address it.

We reaching out to police and the District Attorney’s office to learn more about what they say happened during this incident and their response and will update you as we learn more.

The Savannah Police Department sent us the following response:

At approximately 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4, officers responded to the Civic Center based on reports of a man making verbal threats towards attendees at an LGBTQIA+ job fair. Officers were speaking to organizers of the event when the accused returned to the area. Police questioned the individual, who admitted to removing a Pride Flag before ultimately returning it. The man claimed to not have known there was a formal event happening and stated he believed the flag to be vandalism or a protest. Officers on the scene determined there was no physical altercation and his verbal comments did not constitute a directed threat to a person or group. While we find the individual’s behavior abhorrent, it did not rise to the level of criminality. Out of an abundance of caution the Savannah Police Department has reached out to the Chatham County District Attorney’s Office for a review of the incident. They concurred the individual’s actions did not rise to a level of a criminal charge. The Savannah Police Department takes our relationship with the LGBTQIA+ community very seriously. Our department is reaching out to the Savannah Pride Center via our new LGBTQIA+ liaison to discuss the incident in depth and to explore ways we can work together for the safety of the community

Savannah Police Department