A Democratic state senator in Rhode Island has been arrested after he was caught on camera vandalizing a car that was displaying a ‘Biden sucks’ bumper sticker.
Joshua Miller, who serves as the Senate Democrat policy chairman, was caught on surveillance camera footage keying the vehicle that had been parked next to his own at the Garden City Center in Cranston, Rhode Island, on Thursday.
The son of the car’s owner immediately reported the incident to the police, stating that he heard a scratching noise and got out of the car to see Miller holding a set of keys.
When he confronted Miller about keying his vehicle, Miller simply denied it and walked away.
That was until police arrived and charged Miller with a misdemeanor.
Rhode Island state senator Joshua Miller was arrested after being captured on surveillance camera vandalizing a vehicle with a ‘Biden sucks’ bumper sticker
Miller had parked on the right, while the vehicle with the ‘Biden Sucks’ sticker was seen on the left
Miller is alleged to have caused significant damage to the door of the car with his keys
Rhode Island state senator Joshua Miller was arrested after he admitted to keying a car
The entire episode led to a series of awkward encounters with the local police as they tried to pin down what happened.
Police body camera footage showed how Cranston Police approached Miller two hours later, where he initially denied vandalizing the car and even allowed them to inspect his keys to see if any paint from the car had transferred.
Miller then blamed the victim, claiming he believed he had been recognized as a politician.
He said he believed the man accusing him of keying his car was a ‘gun nut’ and part of a group of people who allegedly stalk him due to his backing of anti-gun legislation.
‘He was blocking my way, saying that I scratched his car, I didn’t scratch his car,’ Miller said. ‘I’m a state senator, I think he recognized me. I think he’s one of the gun nuts.’
‘He didn’t recognize you’, the police officer responded bluntly.
At one stage, Miller offered police officers his keys to examine if there was any paint on them
The victim saw Miller holding a set of keys and confronted him about the vandalism, but Miller denied it and walked away only for police to get involved
In a series of police body cam videos, Miller denied vandalizing the car, claiming he thought the victim was a ‘gun nut’
Miller leads the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and represents District 28 that includes the location of the incident. He has held his position since 2006.
Miller was the sponsor of a senate bill, which looks to ban the possession, sale and transfer of assault weapons.
The Democrat went further, accusing the victim of making threats against him.
Then in a desperate attempt to curry favor with the officers, Miller brought up the chief of the department, name dropping Colonel Michael Winquist.
He urged the officers to contact the colonel believing Winquist might be on his side, aware of the threats made against him.
But that plan was foiled when Cranston Police Department later confirmed Miller had never reported any such ‘threats’ to Winquist or to any other member of the department.
In a separate body cam video released by Cranston Police, the victim returned to the scene and identified Miller as the perpetrator.
Police visited Miller at his home after they found surveillance video of him keying the car
Miller voluntarily went to the police station to be charged shortly after police confronted him at night
After reporting the incident to the police, the victim’s mother suggested that Miller, as a Democrat, might have been unhappy with her ‘Biden sucks’ bumper sticker.
After reviewing the surveillance camera security footage, police released Miller, but later that night, went to question him again at home.
In a third body cam video, Miller admitted to being the vandal and once again repeated claims he had been ‘threatened’ – even suggesting the victim ‘dared him’ to key the car claiming he had been taunted with the victim saying: ‘Hey, Miller! What you gonna do?’
Miller serves as the Senate Democrat policy chairman and leads the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and has held his position since 2006
‘What’s the reason to key the car, though, that’s the question?’ a police officer asked him.
‘Because he was daring me to, basically,’ Miller responded. ‘The guy started on me as soon as I opened my door.’
‘There’s a video! There’s a video!’ the police officer stated, expressing disbelief.
‘This guy wants to pursue charges. He’s upset. I think you’re going to cooperate? Why did you key his car?’ the officer asked repeatedly. ‘You just got mad and keyed his car? Did he threaten you?’
‘I thought he was a gun nut. I thought he was threatening me,’ Miller responded meekly. ‘I took my keys out when he started settling at me. I felt threatened.’
Police suggested Miller accompany them to the police station, which he agreed to do. He was subsequently charged with misdemeanor vandalism/malicious injury to property.
He was arraigned and released on $1,000 personal recognizance but is set to appear in court again on July 18.
In a statement, Cranston police, and Winquist, praised how their officers handled the incident.
‘Mr. Miller never reported any threats to Colonel Winquist or any member of the Cranston Police Department,’ the statement read.
‘Nobody is above the law, including those who make and enforce the laws,’ Winquist added. ‘The officers who handled this investigation did so with fairness, integrity, and without preferential treatment.’
