A Naval Academy graduate is facing charges after he ripped a rainbow-colored pride flag down from an Annapolis business over the weekend. "I saw the flag sitting here next to (my colleague's) station, and I was like, 'What happened?' And he showed me the video on his phone, and I was like, 'Oh man,'" said Chris Ingles, co-owner of the Dapper Dog Tattoo. "We're friends with a few APD officers, so we called one of them and said, 'Hey, this happened, we have video of it this time.' Because they knew it has happened before two times."Ingles said the other incidents are why he and his co-owner decided to put a camera up. The video shows a man walking on the sidewalk down Maryland Avenue before stopping and ripping down the pride flag. Seconds later, the man can be seen putting the flag into the outdoor trash can. Ingles said just a few hours after they posted the video to social media, another local business was able to help identify the man. "They have their own video there, surveillance video of the restaurant. They had a receipt with his name on it and also, just in conversation when he was there," Ingles said. "He was telling (the waitress) why he was here (in Annapolis), for the 2004 (Naval Academy) graduation reunion." Annapolis police said a summons has been issued to Benjamin Michael, 44, who is being charged with a hate crime and malicious destruction of property with a value less than $1,000. Police estimate the property damages to the flag holder to be around $70. An attorney representing Michael, Caroline Norman Frost, said her client, "has no hate towards any person or protected class," according to the Associated Press.Frost went on to call the incident a misunderstanding, which she thinks will come to light once the case is complete."From (the business where) he was to this place, there's 25 flags in between there. But he picked (our flag). So, why? Why did he choose that flag? To me, that bugs me," Ingles said. "We have that flag there for a reason, and it's just to show that anybody here is welcome. It's not just what that flag represents, but it's just inclusivity and just being kind and all that that goes along with it."
A Naval Academy graduate is facing charges after he ripped a rainbow-colored pride flag down from an Annapolis business over the weekend.
"I saw the flag sitting here next to (my colleague's) station, and I was like, 'What happened?' And he showed me the video on his phone, and I was like, 'Oh man,'" said Chris Ingles, co-owner of the Dapper Dog Tattoo. "We're friends with a few APD officers, so we called one of them and said, 'Hey, this happened, we have video of it this time.' Because they knew it has happened before two times."
Ingles said the other incidents are why he and his co-owner decided to put a camera up.
The video shows a man walking on the sidewalk down Maryland Avenue before stopping and ripping down the pride flag. Seconds later, the man can be seen putting the flag into the outdoor trash can.
Ingles said just a few hours after they posted the video to social media, another local business was able to help identify the man.
"They have their own video there, surveillance video of the restaurant. They had a receipt with his name on it and also, just in conversation when he was there," Ingles said. "He was telling (the waitress) why he was here (in Annapolis), for the 2004 (Naval Academy) graduation reunion."
Annapolis police said a summons has been issued to Benjamin Michael, 44, who is being charged with a hate crime and malicious destruction of property with a value less than $1,000. Police estimate the property damages to the flag holder to be around $70.
An attorney representing Michael, Caroline Norman Frost, said her client, "has no hate towards any person or protected class," according to the Associated Press.
Frost went on to call the incident a misunderstanding, which she thinks will come to light once the case is complete.
"From (the business where) he was to this place, there's 25 flags in between there. But he picked (our flag). So, why? Why did he choose that flag? To me, that bugs me," Ingles said.
"We have that flag there for a reason, and it's just to show that anybody here is welcome. It's not just what that flag represents, but it's just inclusivity and just being kind and all that that goes along with it."