Update (July 24, 2019): Georgia authorities confirmed Tuesday that no formal charges will be filed in the conflict between Georgia State Representative Erica Thomas and the man who told her, “You need to go back where you came from.”

The statement from Cobb County Police spokesman Sargeant Wayne Delk reads: “On Friday, July 19, 2019 Cobb County Police began investigating an incident at a local Publix store involving a dispute between two individuals, Georgia State Representative Erica Thomas and Eric Sparkes. After a thorough investigation both parties have been advised there will be no charges made by the Cobb County Police Department. Both were provided information on how to contact the Cobb County Magistrate’s Office if either wished to pursue any further criminal action.”

Thomas’ legal team has taken ire with that conclusion and claims the dispute needs further investigation. Per Atlanta Journal-Constitution, attorney Gerald Griggs asserts bystanders who allege Sparkes never uttered that phrase “didn’t hear the initial argument.”

Griggs added his client is "resolute that she wants to stand as the voice of victims to not be afraid to come forward when incidents like this happen,” reports Yahoo News.

While Sparkes admits he shouted expletives at the Democratic lawmaker, he rebukes accusations that he specifically told her to “go back where you came from.”

Original story: Georgia State Rep. Erica Thomas says she was subjected to racial harassment while shopping in a Cobb County Publix.

The Black Democratic lawmaker was reportedly told to go back to her country by a racist white man who scolded her and called her out of her name for having 15 items in a 10-items or less checkout lane. Thomas, who represents District 39 and is nine months pregnant, published a Facebook video detailing the Friday incident.

In the video, she revealed the white male customer shouted expletives before invoking Trump-like, racist rhetoric.

We have a serious problem in this Country when @itsericathomas is subjected to racism in a Cobb County @Publix in front of her daughter. #gapol. #IStandwithErica thank you @RenittaShannon for alerting me and the @NAACPGA. #NoPlaceforHate. pic.twitter.com/hN5HDS4aG9

— Gerald A. Griggs (@AttorneyGriggs) July 20, 2019

"This white man comes up to me and says, 'You lazy son of a [b***h], you need to go back where you came from,'" Thomas said in the 12-minute video.

Within 24 hours, her testimony spread to Twitter, and the hashtag #IStandWithErica began trending Saturday morning.

Just last week, President Donald Trump launched a racist, xenophobic Twitter attack against Democratic Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar. The 73-year-old echoed white supremacist buzzwords when he suggested the "Squad" return to their countries of origin if they hated America. As racist as the suggestion was, it was also inaccurate. Only Omar was born outside of the country.

The angry white man who approached Thomas yelled and commanded she leave as her young daughter stood beside her.

“I’m in Publix trying to buy groceries I don’t understand it," she said. "Why are you so angry at me you don’t even know me?”

According to 11 Alive News, the man's anger stemmed from the items she had in her cart. Apparently, he claimed she had 20 items, but the minority vice chair only had 15 items. She tried to reason with the man and told him she couldn't stand for a long time due to her pregnancy. Additionally, Thomas explained her daughter was going to buy five of the items.

In a tweet following the release of her video, she also revealed that her husband was in the armed forces. Thomas was born in America which implies that non-white people are not truly American.

Today I was verbally assaulted in the grocery store by a white man who told me I was a lazy SOB and to go back to where I came from bc I had to many items in the express lane. My husband wasn’t there to defend me because he is on Active Duty serving the country I came from USA!

— Erica Thomas (@itsericathomas) July 20, 2019

An employee ultimately intervened and told the man to leave the store. However, Thomas will not let him off that easy. She has filed a police report with the Cobb County Police Department, 11 Alive reports.

“This happened to me and it can happen to anybody," she said. “There’s so much hate in this world and it’s being incited by our president every single day."

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