MIAMI (WSVN) - Police in downtown Miami arrested a suspect allegedly behind an anti-Semitic message on a van, but a judge ruled he did nothing wrong.
All charges have been dropped against 33-year-old Joseph Bounds, who traveled from Denver, Colorado to South Florida earlier this week.
7News cameras captured Bounds shortly after he was released from jail, Friday. He wore a mask with an anti-Semitic meme.
“The truth will set you free. Always seek the truth,” he said.
Bounds said he’s ready to share his message.
“Yup, just to inform people about the truth, who the oppressors are,” he said.
Video of the van showed messages such as “Hitler was right” and “Jews killed Jesus” sprayed on its body.
Todd Amelung-Wilson, the man who recorded the video, said he was startled by the messages.
“My sister and I were just shaken,” he said. “I couldn’t believe anybody could even have that written on a car. It just seems so — just such a belligerence and so terrible.”
Bounds was seen standing next to the van in the video.
Police said he was a passenger in the vehicle when they conducted a traffic stop, Thursday.
Investigators said Bounds stepped too close to traffic as he recorded what was happening, and when officers told him to move, he refused to comply.
He was arrested for resisting and failure to obey an officer.
The van Bounds was riding in made the rounds in South Florida. On Wednesday, it rolled slowly by a rally for peace in Israel held in Boca Raton.
Bounds appeared before a judge on Friday morning. There was no mention of what was written on the van.
While his time in South Florida may have offended a lot of people, the judge found Bounds did not break the law.
“It smacks to me they didn’t like being filmed,” the judge said, “so Joseph, listen, there’s prosecutors who read this, and they kind of agree with the reading between the lines like me, and they’re going to dismiss this case, so you’re about to be released.”
Bounds said he doesn’t know how long he’s going to be in South Florida, and he’s still trying to get in touch with his group.
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