A Florida supporter of former Republican President Donald Trump was arrested Friday after he spray-painted a Pinellas County house with several pieces of bigoted far-right, pro-Trump graffiti.
He was so incensed by his arrest he began "kicking and screaming" at law enforcement.
Among the defacements 32-year-old Geoffrey Pearson Holtman painted on the house and nearby vehicles were the word "Trump," a swastika, several racial slurs and the phrase "Let's Go Brandon"—a right-wing catchphrase against Democratic President Joe Biden that stands for "F'k Joe Biden."
According to local news station WFLA, Holtman behaved so bizarrely during his arrest, police took him to the hospital to make sure he was not experiencing a medical issue.
Man sprayed 'Let's Go Brandon,' racist graffiti on Madeira Beach home and car, deputies say https://bit.ly/3HUgraj\u00a0pic.twitter.com/LfUC4OFZy2— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA NEWS) 1641838905
While transferring Holtman from a patrol car to a transfer van, police reported he refused to speak, move or open his eyes, so they took him to the hospital.
After he was medically cleared, Holtman began screaming at and kicking the police officers as they transferred him back to the police van. A struggle ensued in which police had to physically pick Holtman up while immobilizing his feet to get him back into the vehicle.
Holtman did $5000 worth of damage to the woman's house, garage door and decor in her front yard, as well as to a car and an RV parked nearby, spraying racist and anti-semitic graffiti on both and shattering one of the car's windows.
Since being taken into custody, he's been charged with three counts of criminal mischief and one count of resisting law enforcement without violence--a curious charge given Pearson's physical attacks against the officers.
On Twitter, people were shocked by the incident and the resulting charges, with many wondering if hate crime charges may be forthcoming given a swastika was among the things Pearson painted.
That\u2019s a hard looking 32.— Thomas Gavin (@Thomas Gavin) 1641852817
Party of law and order though, right— name cannot be blank (@name cannot be blank) 1641851122
Based on previous evidence, the GOP will likely nominate this dude for FL Governor at some pointhttps://www.wfla.com/news/pinellas-county/man-sprayed-lets-go-brandon-racist-graffiti-on-madeira-beach-home-and-car-deputies-say/\u00a0\u2026— b\u00f2B Ru\u00f0\u00eds (@b\u00f2B Ru\u00f0\u00eds) 1641851814
Swastikas, huh? Way to elevate graffiti to a hate crime.— Kristen \ud83d\udc99\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83d\udc99 (@Kristen \ud83d\udc99\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83d\udc99) 1641856515
Doesn\u2019t this meet the definition of a hate crime?— Nancy McPeak (@Nancy McPeak) 1641851142
Your average trump supporter. trump has corralled all the nastiest, racist, bigoted dregs of society.\n\nFlorida man sprayed \u2018Let\u2019s Go Brandon\u2019 on home \u2013 then got arrested and \u2018kicked and screamed\u2019 in custodyhttps://www.rawstory.com/trump-supporter-arrested-2656329736/\u00a0\u2026— Stuart (@Stuart) 1641914336
While others saw yet another example of how white people are treated more leniently by police than Black people.
Holtman has been charged with three counts of criminal mischief and one count of resisting law enforcement without violence.\n\nKicking and screaming but not violent? Must be that he's being charged as a white man.— Mikey Mike Michaels (@Mikey Mike Michaels) 1641856074
But he\u2019s alive though.— LAP \ud83d\udc89\ud83d\udc00\ud83d\udcaa\ud83c\udffc (@LAP \ud83d\udc89\ud83d\udc00\ud83d\udcaa\ud83c\udffc) 1641839520
The restraint these cops show white ppl are amazing. https://www.wfla.com/news/pinellas-county/man-sprayed-lets-go-brandon-racist-graffiti-on-madeira-beach-home-and-car-deputies-say?utm_source=wfla_app&utm_medium=social&utm_content=share-link\u00a0\u2026— IRS (@IRS) 1641841278
Though the FBI has reported a steady uptick in hate crimes across the country in recent years, including in Florida.
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