A 58-year-old man was arrested after police said he was vandalizing a hotel in Nashville and making death threats to former President Donald Trump.
The man is facing trespassing, vandalism, and misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges in connection with the incident that occurred at a JW Marriott on Wednesday evening, WSMV reported.
Metro Nashville Police said a hotel employee notified an officer that the man was damaging the property, which led them to ask him to leave, according to the arrest report obtained by the news station. The employee claimed that after the man refused, he started tossing chairs.
Metro Nashville Police alerted the Secret Service of the suspect’s threats. Security footage reviewed by the officer revealed that the man allegedly threw chairs off the balcony, per WSMV. The arrest report claimed that he started to rant about politicians, particularly Trump, while being detained.
Police accused him of saying, “Trump needs to die because he was a liar,” according to the outlet.
USA TODAY reached out to the Metro Nashville Police for additional comment. The police officers informed the Secret Service about the threats. The move comes after the assassination attempt against the ex-president during a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Authorities have been cracking down on people who make threats against political figures amid the escalation in violence against them.
Days after the attack against Trump, a 39-year-old Florida man was arrested for making threats against President Joe Biden.
The Secret Service stated the 39-year-old Florida man “engaged in sending threatening communications, making threats against the President of the United States and other U.S. Secret Service protected officials,” according to a news release.
The arrest of the man in Nashville underscores the heightened security measures and the serious approach authorities are taking towards threats against political figures. The increased vigilance follows a series of incidents that have targeted high-profile leaders.
