3 people arrested over ‘hateful and racist’ Virginia City altercation that went viral

The Storey County Sheriff’s Office arrested three family members who gained notoriety in a viral TikTok video over allegations of racism.

Three people were arrested Wednesday after a “hateful and racist” altercation in Virginia City that went viral on TikTok.

Three family members — Gary Miller, Janis Miller and Tiffany Miller — were served criminal warrants over the incident, according to the Storey County Sheriff’s Office.

Gary Miller was charged with a gross misdemeanor for breach of peace while wife Janis Miller was charged with a misdemeanor for battery. Tiffany Miller was charged with a misdemeanor for obstructing and delaying a peace officer.

All three were booked at the Storey County Detention Center with separate bail amounts.

The Millers were charged over an incident that occurred Friday during the Hot August Nights kickoff event at Virginia City, just south of Reno.

The incident was filmed on video by Ricky Johnson, who was seeking signatures for a petition to cap attorney’s fees in Nevada prior to the altercation.

Johnson has since taken down the video over “community guidelines” but not before it amassed over a million views on TikTok.

Miller could be seen flashing two middle fingers at the beginning of the video while an upset Johnson could be heard talking to him.

“He just said there’s a hanging tree down there to hang people like me,” Johnson said while confronting Gary Miller.

The incident was condemned by Virginia City, Hot August Nights and Gov. Joe Lombardo.

“Earlier this weekend, an incident occurred in which a visitor was harassed during an event and comments were made that were hateful and racist,” Virginia City said in a statement.

“We want to make it clear on behalf of the Virginia City Tourism Commission that we find this behavior abhorrent and inexcusable.”

Hot August Nights also banned three people in the video who were registered as attendees for the event. The ban is permanent, a Hot August Nights representative confirmed with the Reno Gazette Journal on Monday.

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford commended the sheriff’s office for the arrests late Wednesday after being informed that the warrants have been served.

“Just a while ago, several individuals involved in the Virginia City incident over the weekend were served with arrest warrants and detained at the local jail,” Ford said in a statement.

“The public outcry was heard loud and clear, and steps have been taken to hold these individuals accountable for their racist and unlawful actions.”

The sheriff’s office, which recently completed its investigation and forwarded the results to the Storey County district attorney’s office, continues to seek information about the incident, said Sheriff Mike Cullen.

Cullen and Ford also warned against threats of violence against Storey County community members and law enforcement.

Such threats will be investigated, Cullen said.

“Separate from this incident, the Storey County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the State of Nevada is compiling the threatening and harassing phone calls that continue to come into our community,” Cullen said in a statement.

“As we compile this information, we will look at each case individually and either move forward with separate investigations or not depending on the circumstance.”