A San Francisco man was charged Thursday after he allegedly threatened to shoot a family with three young children who were wearing Black ...
A San Francisco man was charged Thursday after he allegedly threatened to shoot a family with three young children who were wearing Black Lives Matter t-shirts.
Steve Cibotti, 55, is alleged to have yelled 'Blue Lives Matter' at Anthony Colon, his wife Ciara Doherty, and their children - Arya, 7, Arlo, 5, and Etta, 2 – as they dined out on June 7.
He then threatened to shoot them, according to the family and other diners at the restaurant.
Cibotti was arrested by Burlingame police on four counts of felony threats, each with a hate crime enhancement, said San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.
Steve Cibotti, 55, is seen here in a grab of surveillance footage from the restaurant on June 7 when he allegedly threatened the young family. He was arrested and charged Thursday
Anthony Colon, his wife Ciara Doherty, and their children, Arya, 7, Arlo, 5, and Etta, 2, all pictured had been at a protest and were wearing Black Lives Matter t-shirts
According to ABC 7 News, Cibotti also lost his job at United Airlines as a result of the incident.
The San Mateo Daily Journal says he is the father of a sergeant in the San Francisco Police Department.
'We believe the evidence shows he was motivated by the Black Lives Matter shirts,' Wagstaffe said.
The young family, who is multiracial, says they had just returned from San Francisco and their first family protest when Cibotti approached them in Flights restaurant in Burlingame at around 5.30pm on June 7.
'He basically banged the table, slammed his hands on the table looked directly at my son and said "Black lives matter. F**k black lives. Blue lives matter",' Colon told ABC 7 News.
Cibotti then allegedly returned to the table a second time when he threatened 'F**k you, B. I'll f*****g shoot you.'
'We were just a family trying to have dinner,' Colon said.
'I don't believe that if we were a white family that he would have come near us,' Doherty added.
'I'm upset that the kids were exposed to that, I'm upset at the effect it's going to have on them. After this, Arlo didn't want to leave the house today because he thinks the guy's going to come back and bring his gun.'
San Mateo County District Attorney Steve said he believes it was these Black Lives Matter t-shirts that the children were wearing that sparked Cibotti's alleged threats
'I'm upset that the kids were exposed to that': Ciara Doherty said that her two eldest children, pictured here, were traumatized by the alleged threats from 55-year-old Steve Cibotti
Police were able to view surveillance footage of the incident from the restaurant and interview other diners who backed up the family's story as part of their investigation.
'The little girl she was trembling so hard, she didn't want to come out of the bathroom. She was telling her mom, "I'm scared",' another customer Amanda Hermosillo told ABC 7.
'He shoved the father.
'It looked like he had an agenda to come specifically to that father, that family or something. It might have been because the kids had the black lives matter shirts,'
Cibotti's lawyer Paula Canny told ABC 7 that he had since signed up for rehab and had too much to drink on the day of the incident.
Steve Cibott is pictured here after posting a $150,000 bail and being released on Thursday
The attorney for Steve Cibotti, pictured, claims he didn't threaten to shoot the family
She says he and his family had left the restaurant but he returned to use the restroom when he decided to approach the young family.
Wagstaffe confirmed that Cibotti had been eating and drinking heavily with friends and family at the restaurant prior to the altercation with the other family.
Canny denies, however, that Cibotti threatened to shoot them, despite the testimonies gathered from other diners.
'Right now, on what people reported to the detective, who interviewed them, those words were spoken,' said District Attorney Wagstaffe.
'This wasn't just somebody who was yelling at the people next to them because their kids were crying or making noise.
The incident happened in this Flights restaurant in Burlingame at around 5.30pm on June 7
'This one has that added element that it's based on race at a time in our world, our community is very concerned about this issue and he is railing against a family for exercising their right,' Wagstaffe continued.
'According to the evidence we have, he added in, "If I had a gun, I would shoot you".'
Police said that Cibotti did not have any guns registered.
The family alleged he threatened them said they were relieved to hear that charges had been filed in a statement issued after Cibotti's arrest.
'We are relieved to hear that the District Attorney has filed charges. We look forward to the resolution of this matter so that we and everyone else affected by this incident can put it behind them and begin the healing process,' it said.
Cibotti was released again Thursday after posting a $150,000 bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday.
He faces a maximum prison sentence of ten years if convicted of all charges.
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