Man charged with pulling gun on couple for wearing MAGA hats
A man was arrested in Kentucky over the weekend after allegedly pulling a gun on a couple for wearing “Make America Great Again” hats.
James Michael Phillips was arrested after the confrontation at a Sam’s Club in Bowling Green, Ky., BuzzFeed News reported.
Terry Pierce told the news outlet that he and his wife Cherrie were running errands on Saturday when they were flipped off by a stranger in the checkout line.
{mosads}Phillips told police in an incident report obtained by BuzzFeed that he made the hand gesture toward them “solely for wearing the hats.”
Terry Pierce said his wife asked Phillips about what he just did, saying, “Excuse me, did you just flip us off?”
“Yes, I did because of those hats,” Terry Pierce recalled Phillips saying.
He told BuzzFeed that he chased after Phillips and flipped him off in return.
“Buddy, it goes both ways,” he said.
That’s when Pierce said Phillips pulled a gun on him and said, “It is a good day for you to die.”
Phillips made a similar comment to Cherrie Pierce, saying, “It’s a good day for you to die, bitch,” according to the police report.
Phillips eventually returned his gun to its holster.
Surveillance footage did not capture Phillips pulling out a gun because the incident did not take place in view of the cameras, the Bowling Green Police Department report said.
Police said they found a 40-caliber Glock in Phillips’s pocket, and that he has a concealed carry permit in nearby Tennessee.
Cherrie Pierce has a concealed carry permit as well and had her gun in her purse, but she did not take it out during the confrontation, according to her husband. Officers were informed at the scene and her gun and purse were secured in a police car.
Her reported concealed carry permit was not included in the details of the police report obtained by the outlet.
Phillips was arrested and charged with first-degree wanton endangerment.
Terry Pierce said he was “blown away” that the country has become so divided.
“Nobody is going to tell me I don’t have the right to believe in America and my president,” he told the outlet, noting that he and his wife had not had any other negative reactions to wearing the MAGA hats in support of President Trump.
He criticized liberals, saying they label Trump as a racist and a misogynist.
“I’m not a racist, my best friend is black,” Terry Pierce told BuzzFeed News. “I’ve got friends from all races.”
He added that he is a staunch Trump supporter and often shares praise on social media for the president’s immigration policies and stance on abortion, the outlet noted.
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