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Who is Robert John Burke? Man arrested in Georgia for shouting racial slur in viral video
Robert John Burke, 65, faces charges after disturbing footage outside the Gwinnett County Social Security office in Georgia.
Robert John Burke, a 65-year-old man from Georgia, was arrested on January 15 after a disturbing video of him shouting racial slurs and obscenities at a security guard went viral online.
Burke has been charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct in connection with the episode, which took place outside the Social Security Administration office in Norcross, Gwinnett County.
Police arrested him after a second complaint of a disturbance at the Courtyard Marriott hotel located at 3550 Venture Parkway in Duluth, Alive+ reported.
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Viral video and arrest details
In the video recorded by onlookers, Burke is seen aggressively confronting a security guard outside the Social Security Administration office. He is heard hurling repeated racial slurs and profanity while pointing his finger at the employee.
He also yelled at the guard, calling him a "fat s---head." Then, as kids stood on the sidewalk, he continued to hurl similar comments at the guard as he entered the parking lot.
This incident took place on January 14, and the local police were initially unable to locate Burke at the scene. Officers spoke with many witnesses who supplied a video of the incident, according to a news release. Workers recognized Burke as the person in the video. Burke had previously made disturbances in the area, according to the employees. This prompted the authorities to issue a warrant charging him with disorderly conduct.
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The second incident led to his arrest
The following day, the police arrested him at the Courtyard Marriott hotel in Duluth, where he was reported to be creating another disturbance.
According to Gwinnett County police, as reported by TMZ, a front desk staff member contacted to report Burke's aggressive behavior and to request his removal and criminal trespass. According to the police, he was "aggressive, yelling at the employees, and he was also talking to himself."
He first refused to leave his room when the officers arrived, but he soon did. Robert informed the authorities that he has mental health issues, paranoia, and schizophrenia.
Since then, Burke has been granted bail on a $1,000 bond.
