Man Pleads Guilty to Hate Crime for Arson at LGBTQ Nightclub
abandoned later that year during demonstrations stemming from long-simmering tensions between protesters and the police department and sparked by the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.
The fire attracted immediate attention, and officers who were on scene observed Garcia a short distance away. Garcia attempted to flee but was apprehended.According to case filings, Garcia was caught on surveillance video in the alley at the time flames caught and surged up the side of the building.
Following his arrest, Garcia, originally from Sedro Woolley, Washington — more than 70 miles away from Seattle — reportedly told police that he had recently become homeless, which he blamed on LGBTQ people.According to a press release from the U.S.
Department of Justice, he also reportedly told police that he had set the fire and had targeted Queer/Bar because it angered him to see a sign that said “queer.” He allegedly told officers: “I think it’s wrong that we have a bunch of queers in our society.”Garcia was originally charged in King County Superior Court with arson and a hate crime.
