SF Man Yells 'Blue Lives Matter,' Allegedly Threatens To Kill Family Wearing Black Lives Matter Shirts At Restaurant

A San Francisco man isn't quite doing SF proud if what San Mateo County authorities say is true. He's accused of yelling at a family of five outside a Burlingame restaurant last week and threatening to shoot them for wearing Black Lives Matter shirts.

This all reportedly went down on June 7 at Flights Restaurant in Burlingame, as KPIX reports. And Burlingame police say that 55-year-old Steven Cibotti approached a family that included three young children who were dining outdoors, and shouted "Fuck black lives! Blue lives matter!" and "If I had a gun I’d shoot all of you." He also allegedly pushed the table.

The parents, Ciara Doherty and Anthony Colon, relayed the horrifying tale to ABC 7 this week, and Cibotti was arrested Thursday on felony threat and hate crime charges.

Paula Canny, a defense attorney who is representing Cibotti, tells the station that her client simply had too much to drink that evening at the restaurant with his own family. "He signed up for rehab because I said, 'Dude you have a drinking problem, you need to go to rehab,'" Canny says, speaking to ABC 7.

When asked whether Cibotti stands by his offensive statements, or whether he believes black lives matter, Canny said she couldn't fully speak him.

Amusingly, she says, "Look, I've made a career of representing people who do dumb stuff when they're drunk."

She does, however, dispute that Cibotti ever threatened the family.

San Mateo DA Steve Wagstaffe is taking the case seriously, saying, "This wasn't just somebody who was yelling at the people next to them because their kids were crying or making noise... According to the evidence we have, he added in, 'If I had a gun, I would shoot you.'"

Per ABC 7, Doherty and Colon issued a statement following Thursday's arrest, saying, "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."