MIAMI – The man caught on video using racial slurs and brandishing a gun during a confrontation with teens in the Brickell area is now apologizing.
Mark Bartlett initially told Local 10 that he had no regrets following Monday's heated incident in which he approached teens with a gun as they were protesting the redevelopment of a Liberty City public housing complex.
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However, late Thursday, Bartlett's attorneys released a statement saying their client "sincerely regrets and apologizes for the offensive language he used on the Martin Luther King Holiday."
Bartlett was heard on video calling the teens "F---ing stupid n-----s" before leaving the scene. He was later arrested after police found the gun sitting on the front passenger seat of his vehicle.
Despite the racial slurs, attorneys Sidney Z. Fleischman and Walter A. Reynoso say their client is not a racist.
"Mark is not a racist and his true character is not defined by the use of this offensive language on the day," the statement reads.
Bartlett said he was merely attempting to protect his girlfriend, Dana Scalione, who had started an argument with the teens after they allegedly ran over her foot on the Brickell Avenue Bridge. The statement says Bartlett is innocent of any charges.
"He is not guilty of any criminal conduct as he was legally defending a loved one that he believed was in danger. Mark strongly believes in our justice system and in the process."
Bartlett was charged with a felony count of carrying a concealed firearm. Police say he does not have a permit for the weapon.
Scalione was fired Wednesday by her real estate company.
The teens holding the redevelopment protest have retained a civil rights attorney and plan to sue Bartlett and Scalione.