Captain Barry R. “Ricky” Arnold Jr. was once voted Fireman of the Year in the beautiful city of Savannah, Georgia, but over the weekend he pulled a gun in an Applebee’s restaurant, threatened black patrons, and went on a racist rant.
Arnold and his wife were dining at Applebee’s when the fireman—who police records say was highly intoxicated — became agitated and used racist slurs toward their server, a black woman.
Another man, also black, and identified as “Mr. Curtis,” who was at a nearby table, tried to calm Arnold down, and that apparently led to Arnold going on a racist tirade. According to the arrest report:
“Mr. Curtis told me that he then advised Mr. Arnold to relax and that Mr. Arnold then redirected his disorderly behavior towards him. Mr. Curtis reported that Mr. Arnold then called Ms. Phillips a ‘n—-r’ and that Mr. Curtis asked Mr. Arnold what his problem was. Mr. Curtis stated that Mr. Arnold replied that he did not have to explain ‘s-t’ to him at which point the altercation started after Mr. Arnold attempted to kick Mr. Curtis while seated in the seat. Mr. Curtis told me that he hurt his right eye by hitting a table when Mr. Arnold tackled him.”
At this point, the altercation then continued in the parking lot, where Arnold got a gun from his vehicle and pointed it at Curtis and his companion.
The police report also states:
“Mr. Curtis reported hearing Mr. Arnold say that he was going to kill him and continued to use the ‘N-word.'”
Oddly, Captain Arnold was arrested but only charged with the misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct, public drunkenness and pointing a gun at another. This did not sit well civil rights groups in Savannah. Reverend Leonard Small of the Unity Political Action Committee remarked in a statement:
“If these set of facts took place with a young African American, he would have been given felony charges and we expect the same thing now. We want one law for everybody. Over and above that we want this man fired yesterday.”
Captain Arnold has been suspended from duty while the incident is under investigation.
