Right wing militia flag linked to gun threat on Columbia’s Main street

Two men who police say threatened a couple with a gun on Main Street in Columbia, S.C., were driving a car bearing a flag often connected to a far right-wing militia.

Witnesses told police a suspect with a gun got out of the car and threatened a woman. A man confronted the suspect , causing the other suspect — who also had a gun— to threaten the man, according to a news release from the Columbia Police Department. Video released by Columbia Police Department also shows the two men exchanging what appears to be a handgun outside Boyd Plaza near the Columbia Museum of Art.

The couple took refuge inside a restaurant. They were not injured.

A still image from the video released by police shows the car — a dark colored SUV police say could be a GMC Yukon — near the scene bearing a “Three Percenters” flag. The “Three Percenters” are a right-wing militia who have in recent years targeted political leftists, Muslims and immigrants, according to the Anti-Defamation League’s website.

Police highlighted the flag in both video and witness statements, according to the news release.

“Three Percenters have a track record of criminal activity ranging from weapons violations to terrorist plots and attacks,” according to the ADL’s website.

Alongside groups such as the Oath Keepers, the Three Percenters are part of an anti-government militia movement, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Three Percenters have at least one chapter in South Carolina, according to the law center.

The “Three Percenters” flag was seen at the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill insurrection, and the group has appeared at demonstrations on coronavirus restrictions, gun control and social justice, according to The Washington Post.

Police have encouraged anyone who has information about the case to call 888-CRIME-SC or submit a tip at www.midlandscrimestoppers.com.