Black Georgia man claims white UPS driver handed him makeshift noose during dispute

A Georgia man claims he was handed a makeshift noose by a UPS driver making a delivery at his workplace.

David Mitchell, who is black, said the driver acted strangely when they first encountered one another about a month ago in a loading dock area.

“He refused to give me the package to deliver, and I said, ‘I work here,’” Mitchell told WSB-TV.

The tension escalated over the past several weeks until the driver, who is white, tied a noose using packing material and handed it to him, Mitchell said.

“I go pick up and this is what he made in front of me and handed to me, signifying a noose -- a makeshift noose,” Mitchell said.

UPS declined to release the driver’s name, but the company said in a statement that Mitchell’s claims were under investigation.

“We are taking this very seriously,” UPS said in a statement. “We have met with the customer, and there is nothing more to share since it's still being investigated.”

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office assigned a detective to investigate the matter as a possible hate crime.

Mitchell said UPS had reassigned the driver to another route, but he’s not sure they’re taking his claims seriously.

“They said it's a ‘he-said-she-said,’” Mitchell said. “I don't go to work with makeshift nooses in my back pocket.”

Watch this video report posted online by WSB-TV: