A man accused of harassing his Black neighbors woke up behind bars Tuesday. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside of his home Monday afternoon after video of a racist rant went viral.
Edward Cagney Mathews, 45, attempted to address the crowd of around 100 people who gathered outside his home before being forced back inside by police. He was eventually escorted to a waiting SUV, and protesters threw water bottles at the vehicle as it drove away.
Police said a woman reported being continually harassed by her neighbor, Edward Cagney Mathews, on Friday.
Police said an investigation was conducted after a video showing Mathews “shouting offensive and racial slurs at his neighbors” circulated on social media.
During the argument, Mathews repeatedly uses the n-word and “monkey” to describe his neighbors.
When a police officer arrives, Mathews tells him to “go talk to these f—king n—–s.” When the officer tells Mathews to stop, he responds, “F—k you, go talk to the n—–s and let ’em know what I’m all about and what f—king rights they have.”
Mathews also declines the police officer’s request to go back to his home, taking up a position within sight of the house he had just visited and saying, “I’ll stand right here, it’s common property.”
Before the viral video ends Mathews gave out his address, seemingly encouraging protesters, who arrived in force on Monday.
Neighbors said the confrontation stemmed from months of issues involving the HOA board for the development where Mathews and his neighbor live.
In an interview shortly before he was taken into custody on Monday, Mathews said he regretted his words and worked to explain his actions.
“I cannot apologize enough. I was drunk, I was out of line, I let my anger get the best of me,” Mathews said.
Mathews has been charged with six offenses related to the viral video as well as a separate incident with another female neighbor. In that one, he’s accused of being caught on video using slurs and performing a “lewd motion while laughing.”
Bonus video: The Moment He Realized He Fucked Up!
