Man Faces Felonies for Targeting Pride Displays Across Saint Paul

Oct 30

A Saint Paul man already facing a felony from earlier this year is now accused of destroying Pride flags, political signs and storefronts across multiple city neighborhoods.

The vandalism occurred during a series of overnight incidents that police say were driven by political and anti-LGBTQ+ bias.

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According to a newly filed criminal complaint, 23-year-old George Thomas Floyd was charged Oct. 24 with two counts of first-degree property damage. Investigators allege Floyd targeted homes and businesses in the Highland Park and Macalester-Groveland neighborhoods throughout June 2025, damaging Pride and Black Lives Matter flags and signs promoting inclusivity or opposing right-wing political movements.

Police say Floyd documented many of his actions through photos and text messages, which were later recovered from his phone. He referred to the incidents as “raids,” described damaging property belonging to those with opposing political views and sent photos of the vandalism to his girlfriend. Surveillance footage, phone data and recovered items from his home linked him to dozens of incidents in the area.

The complaint outlines a month-long pattern of property destruction that included slashed flags, broken poles and smashed windows at two Saint Paul businesses that had Pride displays — Half Price Books and JS Bean Factory. At one location, the word “Groomer” was spray-painted across a storefront window. Investigators estimate total damages exceeded several thousand dollars.

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Saint Paul police executed a search warrant July 3 at Floyd’s home where they recovered clothing and a cellphone tied to the crimes. GPS coordinates on photos found in Floyd’s phone matched locations where vandalism was reported, and some additional damage was never reported to police.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said his office intends to pursue aggravating factors due to bias motivation:

“Solving crimes like this are so important for any community and that’s why we are lucky that the Saint Paul Police Department is so good at it,” Choi said in a written statement. “SPPD investigators easily spent over 500 hours on this investigation to bring this case to justice. When social or political views of any kind lead to violence or infringe on another’s property rights, it crosses the line and will not be tolerated in Ramsey County. We will do everything in our power to hold the accused accountable and work with investigators to seek possible aggravating factors in the sentencing of this case to incorporate allegations of bias motivation.”

Court records show this is not Floyd’s first case in connection to similar behavior. In July, he was charged with possession of burglary or theft tools after an incident where he allegedly attempted to pry open a storm door while armed with a knife at a home just blocks from his residence. The homeowner captured the incident on a Ring camera and later connected it to neighborhood reports of stolen Pride flags.

Floyd was detained at the time on $10,000 bail in that earlier case, which remains pending.

He now faces up to 10 years in prison and $20,000 in fines if convicted on both of the new felony counts.

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