Michael Shaw
A man who allegedly claimed to be part of a white terrorist group and threatened to “solve the problem with a shotgun” after keying a man’s car was taken into custody.
In June, police spoke with the victim, who told them he had posted his vehicle for sale on Facebook Marketplace. He had also placed one of his rooms for rent. The victim told police Michael Shaw, 37, sent him a threatening message saying that Shaw had taken his wife.
When the victim replied and said he did not know what Shaw was talking about, the victim then told him he could not reply to Shaw any longer on Messenger.
The victim told police that Shaw told him he knew where the victim lived because of a street sign visible in a picture of the vehicle. Shaw said he would steal the vehicle, and claimed he was a member of the white supremacist/terrorist group Aryan Nation, and the gang Ghostface. Shaw also threatened to send someone to harm the victim. The victim told police he did not know Shaw personally.
Police added the victim’s house to the watchlist, and the victim said he would call back to report any “damage or activity” that he saw when he returned from an out of town trip. Later that night, the victim told police that Shaw had sent him “actual pictures of his vehicle and house,” along with names of close relatives and family.
A few days later, police said they spoke with the victim again, who said that when he arrived home the driver’s side of his vehicle had been keyed, and police observed this when they arrived. In addition to this, the passenger side headlight was also damaged.
The victim also showed police screenshots of Shaw threatening the victim by saying “he would come to solve the problem with a shotgun.” Police checked the profile picture and cross-referenced it with his mugshot and information in the Tennessee crime portal, and confirmed Shaw was the suspect.
Shaw was arrested on Tuesday, and is charged with civil rights intimidation and vandalism/malicious mischief.