Man seen on camera tearing up pride flag accused of hate crime
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Man seen on camera tearing up pride flag accused of hate crime

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A maritime academy graduate has been charged with a hate crime after he was allegedly seen on camera tearing down a pride flag outside a tattoo shop in Annapolis, Maryland.

According to charging documents, the co-owner of Dapper Dog Tattoo Shop, Charlie Garrett, contacted police on Nov. 15 to report that the shop had been vandalized. Garrett told police that closed-circuit camera footage had captured a man tearing down a pride flag with the phrase “ABIDE NO HATRED” emblazoned on it from the storefront around 1 a.m. that day and placing it in a nearby trash can.

The same day, the tattoo shop posted the photos on social media and asked for help identifying the man.

Man identified with help from social media

According to charging documents, an employee at a nearby restaurant contacted police on Nov. 16 and said she recognized the man after serving him on the evening of Nov. 14. The woman identified the man based on his credit card receipt.

Annapolis police later identified him as 44-year-old Benjamin Michael. Payment documents identified Michael as a graduate of the US Naval Academy and a Marine Corps veteran from Dallas, Texas.

A Marine Corps spokesman told The Associated Press that Michael had is served from 2004-2013.

Michael received a subpoena and charged with willful destruction of property and a hate crime.

“My client did not intend to destroy or deface that flag and my client has no hatred toward any protected class or sexual orientation or any race,” Caroline Norman Frost, Michael’s attorney, told USA TODAY.

“He doesn’t have a grudge against anybody. The video shows no evidence to prove that he hates anybody,” Frost added.

Max Hauptman is a trends reporter for USA TODAY. He can be reached at [email protected].

Website https://carnevalestoricocivitonico.it

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