PANAMA CITY BEACH -- A man who told officers he was an active member of the Ku Klux Klan made a threatening comment toward police after being arrested Wednesday night for carrying a BB gun in a Panama City Beach bar, according to a police report.
An off-duty officer was at Coyote Ugly Saloon at 15012 Front Beach Road when he reported about 11 p.m. that the man was carrying a black handgun. The man, David Timothy Kelley, had allegedly shown the weapon and said, “he was going to shoot anyone who gave him trouble,” according to the report.
Responding officers arrested Kelley, who immediately told them the weapon wasn’t a real gun. Kelley allegedly told officers that he carried the .17-caliber Smith & Wesson BB gun for protection. The gun was loaded with five BBs, police reported. It was taken by police as evidence.
Officers told Kelley, according to the report, that the BB gun is still a weapon and having it in a bar while consuming alcohol is against the law.
While being taken to Bay County Jail, Kelley allegedly identified himself as a member of the KKK and said that his chapter of the organization had fully automatic weapons that would riddle a police vehicle from bumper to bumper. The comment was reported to police investigations.
Kelley, 34, of Opelika, Ala., was charged with carrying a concealed weapon inside a business serving alcohol.