No decision from authorities on charges in East Texas confrontation involving racial slurs, rifle in Chick-fil-A parking lot
More than two weeks after a racially charged incident recorded on video in East Texas, there's still no decision from authorities about whether criminal charges will be filed.
A 35-year-old man wants Henderson police to arrest a man who displayed an assault rifle during a confrontation outside a fast-food restaurant.
On Dec. 17, Kenneth McGaha and his girlfriend started recording video when he said a stranger reached into their vehicle after making racist comments.
"That's what made me ask him if he was racist, because of the stuff he was saying when he was very rude," McGaha said. "Saying get your a-word over there and 'the boy' word."
When McGaha pulled out of the Chick-fil-A parking lot, his phone recorded the man holding up what appears to be an assault rifle.
McGaha believes the man was upset that he had pulled into a handicapped parking spot while waiting for a drive-through order that wasn't ready.
The 35-year-old father of three says he still hasn't recovered.
"Just traumatized me," he said. "Just changed me."
More than two weeks later, McGaha wonders why Henderson police haven't made an arrest.
In a statement to CBS News Texas, the department says:
"At this time, the investigation remains ongoing, and details are limited in order to protect the integrity of the case. The Henderson Police Department is working closely and in consultation with the Rusk County District Attorney's Office regarding this matter."
McGaha says in the days since it happened, the man from the video had two men come to his mother's home with an offer of $3,000 to drop the police complaint.
"He sent a person that I knew to reach out to me," McGaha said. "He was going to pay me like $3,000 or something to drop the charges. You're kidding me? I reported it to the cops."
What happened in that parking lot has people in the small town of 13,000 taking sides.
CBS News Texas has learned that the leaders of local Black churches want to meet with authorities about the case and will request that it's prosecuted as a hate crime.
