Man arrested for pointing gun, yelling slurs at Palestine rally-goers in Harrisburg

DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — Capitol Police have announced the arrest of a Lebanon County man who is facing an ethnic intimidation charge for an incident that broke out at the Capitol on Friday.

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Authorities say at around 6:24 p.m. ,56-year-old Richard Blandy of South Lebanon Township, drove up to a group of organizers who were rallying at the Capitol in support of Palestine.

Once he approached them, that's when officers say Blandy began yelling racial slurs at people and pointed a firearm at them.

CBS 21 News was at the scene as Blandy showed the gun.

Capitol Police quickly took off on foot to try and capture Blandy, who fled the scene in his car.

Officers state that Capitol Police, with the help of video and eyewitness statements, were able to identify Blandy's vehicle registration plate and locate his address.

Blandy was later arrested at around 7:30 p.m. by the South Lebanon Twp. Police Department, who located the firearm used.

“Using information provided by eyewitnesses and a video of the crime, we were able to get the investigation immediately underway and have the suspect in custody within an hour of the crime taking place,” says Capitol Police Superintendent Joe Jacob.

“I also want to give special thanks to the Pennsylvania State Police and South Lebanon Township Police Department for working with us to take the suspect into custody without incident.”

Blandy is currently being charged with ethnic intimidation, terroristic threats, simple assault by physical menace, and various traffic violations.