KINGSLAND, Ga. – A family is shaken after police say a Kingsland man drew a gun on them in a grocery store parking lot.
Kingsland police arrested Thomas Langdale on Friday.
Langdale is accused of threatening to shoot a black man after the man’s son brushed up against Langdale’s car, according to the arrest report. He’s been charged with aggravated assault, according to a police report.
His arrest was caught on Facebook Live by a local pastor.
News4Jax spoke with the pastor and the victim of the crime, Eric Dawson.
Dawson said Langdale used a racial slur directed at him while he pointed a gun at him in the parking lot of a Winn-Dixie in Kingsland. Dawson said they were celebrating his son’s graduation that day.
With recent issues involving racism in the country, like the death of Ahmaud Arbery, he’s hoping this incident will open eyes and show people that racism is real in Kingsland — and he wants that to change.
Dawson said Langdale became hostile after his son brushed up against his car.
"He yelled out, ‘I’ve been watching him in my rearview mirror. He doesn’t need to brush up against my car. He’s not worth enough to brush up against my car. Don’t ever come up beside my car again,’” Dawson said.
Dawson tried calming Langdale down, but instead, Dawson said Langdale raised his gun and at one point called him a racial slur.
“He pointed it directly at me in my face. All I could see was the barrel of that gun," Dawson said. “Then he said, ‘I’ll shoot you. I’ll kill you.’"
Dawson gave Langdale an alternative.
“I said ‘Put the gun down. Fight me. Fight me,’” Dawson said.
Fortunately, someone intervened.
Pastor Mack Knight, who recorded the incident, rushed to the store immediately to help Dawson.
“I was just overwhelmed with emotions to know that in this day and time we are still dealing with this type of systemic racism and they’re getting more bolder and bolder and it’s in our neck of the woods,” said Knight.
The police report said security cameras in the parking lot showed Langdale brandishing his gun towards Dawson, which led to his arrest.
Langsdale bonded out of jail Tuesday morning. News4Jax went to Langdale’s home for comment and even called him a few times asking if he would like to share his side of the story, but we have not heard back.
Dawson said the incident has impacted him mentally and he is still shaken up.
He said the District Attorney’s Office Victim’s Advocate did contact him.
News4Jax tried to ask Kingsland Police if it was investigating the incident as a hate crime, but we have not heard back.