Teens Face Charges Are Flag Incident Caught On Camera
Four individuals — three men and a juvenile — were arrested early Tuesday after Atlanta police responded to reports of vandalism targeting LGBTQ symbols in Midtown, a neighborhood recognized as the cultural heart of the city’s LGBTQ community. Authorities say hate crime charges are under consideration.
According to police, officers were called around 1:40 a.m. to the intersection of Piedmont Avenue and 10th Street, where six males were reported creating a disturbance. The area is known for its symbolic rainbow-painted crosswalks and proximity to Blake’s on the Park, a longstanding LGBTQ bar.
Responding officers learned the group had deliberately removed pride flags, cut them with knives, and filmed the incident. Video evidence suggests the act was premeditated.
Investigators said the group traveled to the city from northwest Georgia specifically to carry out the incident. Four were apprehended after fleeing on motorized scooters. Two remain at large.
The suspects in custody include two 18-year-olds and a 17-year-old from Dallas, Georgia, and a 16-year-old from Taylorsville. Each faces charges of criminal damage to property, obstruction, conspiracy, and prowling. Under Georgia law, 17-year-olds are automatically charged as adults. The 16-year-old’s father was also cited for failing to supervise his son.
Police indicated the incident is being reviewed under Georgia’s hate crime statute, enacted in 2020, which allows for enhanced sentencing if a crime is found to be motivated by bias toward a person’s sexual orientation, race, religion, or other protected characteristics.
“As far as it being labeled a hate crime, that’s still under investigation,” said Atlanta police Sgt. Brandon Hayes at a press conference. “We’re still looking at all avenues.”
The vandalism occurred at the close of national Pride Month. While Atlanta’s largest pride festival takes place in October, the location and symbolism of the attack are significant. The rainbow crosswalks at the intersection were permanently installed in 2017 to honor victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre and to recognize the city's LGBTQ history.
This incident follows previous acts of anti-LGBTQ vandalism in the same area. In 2022, police arrested a man for painting swastikas on the rainbow crosswalks. Last October, a Pennsylvania man was indicted for defacing booths and desecrating a pride flag during a Global Black Pride event.