Missouri man arrested on hate crime charges for allegedly threatening to kill white people

( Post Millennial )

On Thursday, Missouri authorities charged a black man with a hate crime after he allegedly threatened to kill white people at a Walgreens in Columbia.

Mark Elliot Lewis, 47, has been charged with harassment motivated by discrimination to frighten or disturb another person. Lewis is being held at the Boone County Jail on a $75,000 bond, according to ABC 17.

Court documents show that Lewis began harassing a pharmacy tech working at a Walgreens located in Columbia. He reportedly started yelling at the employee about needing medication while she was in the process of helping another customer.

During the incident, Lewis allegedly told the tech "I’m gonna start killing white people," court documents show.

Police documents indicate that the tech told law enforcement that she was concerned Lewis was armed with a firearm. Documents also show that the tech told officers she was fearful that Lewis would return to the store in 10 minutes to harm other customers, although it's unclear if Lewis had issued those threats.

Lewis, according to the police, is wanted on multiple active warrants in the Kansas City metropolitan area, including one for assault, per KJLU radio.