SAN BRUNO, CA — A Washington State man has been arrested after authorities said he threatened to shoot Black people at businesses across the country, including a San Bruno restaurant where he told police he wanted to “attack Black people and strike fear into the Bay Area’s Black community.”
Joey David George, 37, was arrested Thursday and was scheduled to appear in court Friday, July 22, to face charges of making interstate threats. George is accused of phoning in racially motivated threats to businesses across the country over the last year in Washington, Maryland, New York, Connecticut and California.
Most recently, on July 19 and 20, George called Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York, and threatened to shoot Black people in the store, federal prosecutors in Seattle said in a news release. Court documents allege the caller, who identified himself as “Peter,” spoke with a store employee and asked how many Black people were in the store.
“He said he would make the news if he shot and killed all of the Black people, including all of the women, children, and babies,” court documents said.
The caller asked the worker if he evacuated the building, and that he could already be in the store or lurking nearby, the documents said. The caller then said he was armed with assault rifles and other weapons, and was an accurate shooter who could “pick off people from the parking lot,” prosecutors said in the documents.
A day later, the same caller phoned a second time and unloaded a rant about a “race war,” authorities said, and added that, “This is what happens in a blue state.”
Despite efforts to conceal his phone number using *67, law enforcement traced the calls to George’s phone number.
Two months before the Buffalo threats, George made similar threats to Shari’s Restaurant and Pies in San Bruno, California, prosecutors said.
On May 12, a caller who identified himself as “Tony” phoned the restaurant and threatened to shoot Black and Hispanic customers in the restaurant if it refused to close within 20 minutes, court documents alleged. Police called the number back and spoke with a man who identified himself as “Tony Sumorrah.” The man refused to give his address, and prosecutors said he called the restaurant to “attack Black people and strike fear into the Bay Area’s Black community.” The caller also made racist remarks to police officers and said he was proud of his actions because he scared the restaurant’s workers and customers.
In September 2021, prosecutors said George called a marijuana dispensary in Rockville, Maryland. In that instance, a caller who identified himself as “David Lester” hurled racial slurs and threats toward Black people, and said he was headed to the store to start shooting. At one point, employees became alarmed when he accurately described a worker’s appearance.
When contacted by police, the caller hurled more racial obscenities and said he wanted to shoot Black people at the store. The store closed for the day and hired additional security.
That same day, a man called a Denny’s restaurant in Enfield, Connecticut, and asked an employee if any Black people were in the restaurant. When the worker said there were likely Black patrons in the store, the caller said he would throw a bomb through the window and “f— everybody up,” court documents said.
The caller later phoned the Denny’s restaurant a second time. He spoke with a police officer and admitted directing the employee to clear the restaurant of Black people.
Ten days after the threats, a Maryland police officer phoned the number and asked to speak to George. The man who answered the phone identified himself as George, and told the officer he “felt Black people do too much and have it coming,” court documents said.
“I did it for fear,” George told the officer, according to court documents.
And in January, authorities said George called a dispensary in Seattle and made similar threats. When a worker answered, the caller asked if any Black people worked at the business. The caller then said he had a gun and would shoot any Black people in the store when he arrived. The store told investigators a similar threat was made to its location in Skyway.
