Man accused of saying Trump 'needs to die', tossing chairs off balcony at Nashville hotel

A 58-year-old man was arrested after police said he was vandalizing a hotel in Nashville and making death threats to former President Donald Trump.

The man is facing trespassing, vandalism, and misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges in connection with the incident that occurred at a JW Marriot on Wednesday evening, WSMV reported.

Metro Nashville Police said a hotel employee notified an officer that the man was damaging the property, which led them to ask him to leave, according to the arrest report obtained by the news station.

The employee claimed that after the man refused, he started tossing chairs.

More:Image shows Trump at golf course days before shooting | Fact check

Metro Nashville Police alerted the Secret Service of the suspect's threats

Security footage viewed by the officer revealed that the man allegedly threw chairs off the balcony, per WSMV. The arrest report claimed that he started to rant about politicians, particularly Trump while being detained.

Police accused him of saying, "Trump needs to die because he was a liar," according to the outlet.

USA TODAY reached out to the Metro Nashville Police for additional comment.

The police officers informed the Secret Service about the threats. The move comes after the assassination attempt against the ex-president during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Authorities have been cracking down on people who make threats against political figures amid the escalation in violence against them.

Days after the attack against Trump, a 39-year-old Florida man was arrested for making threats against President Joe Biden.

Prosecutors alleged the 39-year-old Florida man "engaged in sending threatening communications, making threats against the President of the United States, and threats against federal officials," according to a news release.

Trump is scheduled to speak in Nashville this weekend

Trump is expected to attend the Bitcoin2024 conference in Nashville on Saturday afternoon. Officials plan to ramp up security at the event "given the circumstances," according to the Nashville Tennessean, part of USA TODAY Network.

"Prior to Saturday’s events in PA, our security and production teams were already working closely with the Secret Service to incorporate additional measures for President Trump’s attendance in Nashville," Bitcoin2024 spokesperson Kristyna Mazankova said in a statement last week.

Taylor Ardrey is a Trending News Reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com.