Pa. man facing new bias intimidation count in NJ

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) - August 11, 2013 (WPVI) -- A Pennsylvania man accused making racial slurs at a southern New Jersey concert venue earlier this summer has been arrested there again on similar charges

Camden County authorities say 33-year-old Darren Walp of Ridley Park is accused of bias intimidation.

Walp was headed to the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden for a country music concert Saturday when he got out of his pickup truck at a traffic light to get a beer from a cooler. He then allegedly began screaming racial slurs at a black driver who was also stopped at the light and had a small child in his car.

Authorities say the other driver did nothing to provoke Walp, who allegedly dared the man to get out of his car. But the man drove off and flagged down police who happened to be nearby.

Based upon the description of the suspect and the vehicle the man provided, officers were able to locate Walp in one of the concert venue's parking lots. Besides the bias intimidation charge, he was also cited for harassment.

Walp was being held on $2,500 cash bail, and it was not known Sunday if he has retained a lawyer.

The arrest came about six weeks after Walp was arrested at another country music show staged at the Susquehanna Bank Center. During that concert, authorities say Walp climbed a fence into a nearby housing complex, waved a Confederate flag and shouted racial slurs at residents.

"We never want to see this individual in the city of Camden again," said Camden County Police Chief J. Scott Thomson. "Therefore, I will ask the Susquehanna Bank Center to permanently ban this individual from their venue."

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