January 18, 2026
Man Arrested For Racial Tirade Caught On Video Outside Metro Atlanta Social Security Office
Police say viral footage shows 65-year-old Robert Burke allegedly threatening a security guard and shouting slurs in front of children.
A Georgia man captured on widely shared video verbally abusing a security guard and hurling racial slurs outside a Social Security office in suburban Atlanta has been arrested, authorities said. Gwinnett County Police identified the man as Robert Burke, 65, who was taken into custody following a separate disturbance one day after the confrontation that drew public outrage online. The incident occurred Jan. 14 at a Social Security office on Shackleford Road in Norcross, police confirmed.
Officers were initially called to the federal building after reports of a man making threats and aggressively berating people inside the office. Investigators said witnesses provided cellphone video showing Burke yelling profanities and insults as he was escorted out by a security guard. Police noted that multiple children were present during the encounter.
In the footage, which circulated widely on social media, Burke can be heard threatening the guard, telling him to “take a shot” and saying he would “beat the” guard, using expletives throughout. At one point, Burke repeatedly refers to the guard, who is Black, using a racial slur.
“I’m a citizen… you motherf***er, you’re a n*****,” Burke is heard shouting in the video. When challenged, he responds, “What are you going to do? It’s free speech.”
As Burke exits the building and moves into the parking lot, he continues yelling insults and threats. In one moment, a woman escorting young children into the office is forced to step back as Burke storms past, still shouting. Police later confirmed children were in close proximity throughout the incident.
According to Atlanta investigators, employees at the Social Security office told officers this was not an isolated episode. Staff members reported that Burke had caused disturbances at the location on prior occasions.
By the time officers arrived on Jan. 14, Burke had already left the scene. Police subsequently obtained a warrant for his arrest on a disorderly conduct charge for his behavior in metro Atlanta. The following day, officers responded to another disturbance call at a Courtyard Marriott hotel in nearby Duluth, where Burke was located and arrested.
Gwinnett County Police Cpl. Angela Carter said the case highlights common misunderstandings about free speech protections.
“There are exceptions to the First Amendment,” Carter said. “Those include fighting words. So basically, you can’t make statements face-to-face to someone that may entice violence in that moment.”
The video has since accumulated tens of thousands of views, likes, and shares. Carter encouraged the public to continue documenting incidents when safe to do so.
“Take video. We love that. It always helps us,” she said. “But still contact the police so we can take steps to make an arrest quickly in situations like this.”
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