A Glendale man has been arrested after yelling racial slurs and hitting a man over the head with a beer bottle.
Joseph David Burgoyne, 28, was at Denim and Diamonds Bar in Mesa when he allegedly yelled "white power" and "nigger" at the victim. When the victim confronted Burgoyne, Burgoyne allegedly attacked him with a bottle, injuring the back of the victim's head.
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After security removed Burgoyne from the bar, he took off his shirt to reveal his tattoos, police say. Burgoyne has "CWB" tattooed on his neck, which he later told police stands for "Crazy White Boy." In court paperwork, police call the Crazy White Boys "a documented criminal street gang with white supremacist ideologies."
On a cellphone recording from the parking lot, Burgoyne is heard yelling "Fuck niggers" and "I don't give a fuck, I am a racist," police say. He then allegedly yelled more racial slurs at a woman in the lot. Police did not identify this woman or the male victim.
Burgoyne left the scene but was arrested at North Power Road and East Adobe Street in Mesa at 1:14 a.m. He racked up four charges for the attack: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, participating in a criminal street gang, threatening or intimidation, and disorderly conduct.
In an interview with police, Burgoyne denied hitting the man with a bottle, though several witnesses told cops they saw the incident and heard Burgoyne immediately call the man "nigger."
Burgoyne told police that the man said something to him at the bar -- police did not report what Burgoyne alleges the victim said -- to which he replied "white power." Burgoyne told police that he wanted to intimidate the victim with the words.
Court paperwork also alleges Burgoyne yelled, "I hate niggers" at some point, though it is unclear when this occurred.
The arresting officer, a gang expert, wrote that the Crazy White Boys gang "has a history of violence toward minorities. Members of this gang are also known to contact victims and witnesses on behalf of the gang to influence the investigation."
The state opposed an unsecured release of Burgoyne, alleging that he was trying to locate the victim after the assault and that the victim was fearful of retaliation. Burgoyne's bond was set at $10,000.
Court paperwork did not list any prior arrests of Burgoyne.
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