A man has been arrested in Florida for a hate crime after allegedly spewing white supremacist rhetoric while firing a weapon outside a bar this week.
On Wednesday, the Tampa Police Department said Dustin McCann had been taken into custody.
“Racist conduct like this has no place in our community, which is why our Tampa Police Officers worked swiftly to find this suspect in less than 24 hours and bring him to justice," Tampa police chief Mary O'Connor said in a statement. "He will now be held accountable for his criminal actions."
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According to a police press release, McCann repeatedly referred to a Black security guard at South Tampa bar SoHo Saloon as the N-word at about 9.p.m. on Monday.
He was subsequently thrown out of the bar, but police said witnesses saw McCann then get in his car across the street and fire multiple gunshots, before yelling “white power!” as he drove away.
McCann, 30, was arrested and charged with four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm and one count of shooting a weapon while driving. The charges are expected to be elevated with evidence of racial bias.
As of Wednesday afternoon, McCann, originally from Texas, had been released on bond, ABC Action News Tampa reported.
An employee of SoHo Saloon said the establishment had “no comment” on the matter.
