East Providence police have charged 27-year-old Manville, RI resident Joey Marsden with numerous charges following an incident outside of East Providence City Hall.

At approximately 12:00 p.m., while a ceremony was taking place inside City Hall to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Cape Verdean's independence from Portugal, Marsden approached City Hall on a moped. Marsden then walked up to three flags that were positioned directly outside the City Hall entrance and proceeded to throw both the American flag and Cape Verdean flag to the ground.

Witnesses reported that Marsden was observed specifically stomping on the Cape Verdean flag. The incident was captured on a surveillance video. Officers were able to apprehend the suspect on his moped a short distance away from City Hall.

During the arrest, Marsden was found to be in possession of a 6-inch knife as well as a large Nazi flag.

Marsden is currently being charged with vandalism, disorderly conduct, and possessing prohibited weapons other than firearms (knife).

The East Providence Police Department's Prosecution Division is currently working with the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office to determine if additional hate crime enhancements will be pursued in this case. Marsden will be arraigned at Sixth District Court on Thursday morning.

“The City of East Providence takes great pride in being a diverse, inclusive and welcoming community for all,” Mayor Bob DaSilva said. “There is no room in this city for acts of hatred and vandalism. Our administration condemns all hateful acts and will continue to make it abundantly clear that East Providence is an inclusive community where hate is neither welcome nor tolerated.” 

“Our agency takes these acts of vandalism seriously and will pursue hate crime enhancements when warranted," said acting Police Chief Michael Rapoza. "I’d like to thank the ceremony attendees for alerting the police and our officers who responded quickly and apprehended the suspect. There is no place for this type of behavior in our city."