NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Canadian neo-Nazi protester who was free on bond following his arrest last July for using a flagpole to hit a downtown Nashville bartender has been taken back into custody for a new indictment, according to authorities.
The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said 29-year-old Ryan Scott McCann, of Ontario, Canada, was part of a group of neo-Nazi protesters carrying Nazi flags and spreading white supremacist rhetoric at Broadway and 3rd Avenue on July 14, 2024, “to the displeasure of passersby.” A number of officers, aware of free speech issues, stayed close by and watched the group’s actions.
Officials said the group left Broadway and headed south on 3rd Avenue, but as they walked, a 19-year-old bar employee got involved in a fight with the protesters. As the parties separated, McCann was reportedly seen hitting the 19-year-old in the face and ribs with the flagpole, which led to his arrest for felony aggravated assault.
According to law enforcement, McCann — who was identified as part of the Goyim Defense League (GDL) antisemitic hate group — had been on an ankle monitor and was forbidden from leaving Davidson County under the conditions of his bond.
As a result of a new Davidson County Grand Jury Indictment charging him with civil rights intimidation and assault, police said detectives from the Specialized Investigations Division (SID) took him into custody on Wednesday, Feb. 5 in downtown Nashville, where he was working as a painter.
Authorities said the new indictment is the result of an SID investigation into McCann’s actions during the late night hours on July 13, 2024, at a 10th Avenue South parking lot.
Detectives learned about an unreported fight between McCann and a 20-year-old Clarksville man of Jewish descent, who was standing outside a vehicle in the parking lot that was also occupied by the GDL group, according to officials. The investigation shows the man was antagonized and taunted by members of GDL.
During the altercation, McCann took off his fanny pack and claimed not to know how to fight, but while the 20-year-old was standing in front of him, McCann allegedly attempted a spinning elbow strike toward the victim’s neck and head. When the 20-year-old tried to get away, the MNPD said McCann kicked him at least twice.
A criminal court judge set an additional $50,000 bond on the indictment. As of Thursday, Feb. 6, McCann is still being held in the Downtown Detention Center, the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office said.
