Police Search For Suspects Who Burned American Flag In Cambridge
CAMBRIDGE (CBS) - Cambridge Police are looking for a group of suspects who were caught on cellphone video burning an American flag in the parking lot of a Highland Avenue apartment building.
It was a bizarre scene as the flames were flickering in the darkness, the noise waking Hannah Romano who was sleeping in a second floor apartment. "There were four people, 20-25 years old blaring music and waving an American flag around," she said.
The rowdy crowd is seen picking up the flag and taking a picture of it, and when it's on the ground they're kicking it.
Romano says she wanted evidence for police and grabbed her cellphone. "They were pouring liquor on it and then setting it on fire, not showing respect for the flag as you would expect someone to do," she said.
One woman is seen taunting another neighbor as she watched it unfold from her balcony.
"I think it's unfortunate, it hurts people's feeling and as a tactic it's inflammatory," said the woman who did not want to be identified.
Police say burning the flag itself is protected speech, leaving the burning embers on the ground is reckless conduct that could carry fines or jail time.
Hannah Romano says the group quickly took off. "It would be on fire for moments at a time," she said. "They finally had enough, left the flag on the ground and drove away hitting my neighbor's car on the way out."
Romano says she didn't recognize anyone as being from the neighborhood and the white Nissan Altima had a New York license plate.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports
