An American flag being dragged behind a car is considered to be the trigger of an assault on the Fourth of July. A 39-year-old Nederland man is in a hospital with a broken jaw after he said he was punched in the Home Depot parking lot Thursday.
Orange Detective Captain Robert Enmon said the 46-year-old suspect who lives in Houston has called police and told them he was protecting his property.
The assault is also being played out on Facebook as the victim posted about his encounter and the suspect has responded.
Enmon said police have gotten surveillance video from the Home Depot store on Strickland Drive. Investigators were in Beaumont Friday morning to interview the victim at St. Elizabeth Hospital.
No arrest had been made as of Friday morning. Enmon said he was not releasing the names of the victim and the suspect. The patrol officer’s initial report also does not list the names, but says the call came at 11 a.m. Thursday.
The victim on Facebook identified himself as Brandon Scott of Nederland.
In the Facebook post, Scott said he saw a car draggin “what I thought was a sign down MLK in Orange.” He said he followed the car and when it pulled into the Home Depot parking lot, he stopped to tell the driver about the object.
“As he drives approaching me, I get out and wave him down, “hey man, you’re dragging something behind you”,” Scott wrote on Facebook. “As I approach the back of his car to help him remove, I see it’s an American flag. I’m squatting down and turn to let him know and that’s where he cheap shots me in the jaw and drives off. A good citizen follows and gets the license plate. All of this while my son is in the car.”
Terrance Watson replied on Scott’s Facebook and contends Scott blocked his car in and then tried to jerk off the flag and his tailpipe. He said he feared for his life and was protecting his property.
Social Media