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A self-described “free speech patriot” and social media influencer known for posting confrontational racist videos and harassing strangers in public was arrested in Nashville on Friday night after refusing to stop live-streaming at an upscale steakhouse, causing a disturbance, and walking out on the check.
The influencer, whose real name is Dalton Eatherly, was dining at Bob’s Chop House on Friday night and was charged with theft of services, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest after being repeatedly asked by restaurant staff to stop filming.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by local outlet WSMV, the white supremacist influencer had ordered nearly $400.00 worth of food and drinks before causing a scene after being confronted for disturbing diners with his streaming. Eatherly then began yelling and using racial slurs before announcing he would not pay the bill despite consuming the food.
He was later taken into custody after allegedly resisting officers attempting to arrest him. Davidson County booking records show he was held on a combined $5,000 bond.
The arrest marked an escalation for Eatherly, who has built an online following through inflammatory “rage-bait” livestreams, many of which involve harassing strangers with racist comments in public spaces. Clips circulating across X and Reddit show the influencer repeatedly using racial slurs, making monkey noises at Black pedestrians, and referring to people as “chimps” while livestreaming to followers.
The influencer didn’t seem to flinch following his arrest, taking to X to share his version of events.
“I partially ate the two appetizers i ordered. Never got my meal, and couldnt enjoy or finish the food i did get. He said on camera “ok just go then”,” Eatherly wrote. “Hes mad i called him short.”
He continued recounting his 13 hours in custody, in a post filled with more racist commentary.
“They put me in the gen pop processing room with everyone, and 90% of the blacks loved me. A few even went as far as to stand up for me against the others who started to chimp out.”
The arrest quickly went viral online, with users across social media celebrating the incident as overdue accountability for a streamer known to consistently antagonize people.
“Dude’s been running around Broadway filming content of himself using racial slurs, macing people, etc. for weeks,” one Reddit commenter said, adding that Eatherly is also banned from most bars in the area.
But if the arrest was intended to slow Eatherly down, it may have instead added fuel to the fire. Hours after his release, the influencer posted a disturbing video of the event where he taunts a driver in the street, calling him a n*gger repeatedly, mocking him with monkey noises and says “somebody go get this n*gger a banana.”
The controversy also reignited debate over the business model behind outrage creators, particularly those like Eatherly hiding behind the guise of “free speech,” and being followers of god.
“And that’s the part that really gets me… this whole idea that “free speech” somehow means “I can be as cruel and hateful as I want and nobody is allowed to react”,” said another Reddit user.
While it’s likely this weekend’s arrest was nothing more than an inconvenience, and if anything, social currency for the attention economy he lives in.
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