A Texas man was arrested Monday after police say he made racist threats against black people in a YouTube video, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Manuel Flores, 42, of El Paso was arrested in the Dallas area on a federal charge of making a threat over the internet after he allegedly posted a video to YouTube titled “N***** Lives Matter” and said in the video that his “dream” is to “take out at least 200” black people, according to the Western District of Texas U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Manuel Flores, age 42 of El Paso, faces a federal charge of posting a threatening communication over the Internet https://t.co/xWSRjSSgT2
— U.S. Attorney WDTX (@USAO_WDTX) June 17, 2020
The threats specifically targeted Black Lives Matter protesters. In the video, Flores said he will be traveling east on Interstate 20 through Dallas on Monday and dared Black Lives Matter protesters to “stop him,” officials said. (RELATED: Statue Of Black Tennis Legend Arthur Ashe Defaced With ‘White Lives Matter’)
In the video, Flores is allegedly seen with an AR-15 at his feet, and he says he may have “500 rounds of something.” He then says “stop me, I’m pissed and I’m tired and I’m ready,” the complaint said.
FBI agents went to Flores’ home Sunday, where he admitted to agents that the YouTube account, called “Don’t CA my TX” was his, according to the El Paso Times. He also said he had “drank eight or nine IPA style beers” and didn’t remember what he said in the video, but told agents he “loves America and is upset about what is going on right now” and had “no intention of harming anyone but would defend himself if he had to.”
Our office will treat any threats of violence against protesters extremely seriously.
(The defendant in this case is presumed innocent at the stage.) https://t.co/HT1h2dtrki
— US Attorney John Bash (@USAttyBash) June 17, 2020
In the YouTube video, Flores spoke with a southern accent that authorities say was not present during the interview.
Flores made his initial court appearance Tuesday and is in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison.