Alleged Racial Bias Incident at Toby Keith Concert in Camden

A Toby Keith concert attendee who allegedly waved a Confederate flag and shouted racial slurs at residents near the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden Saturday was arrested and charged in what Camden County Police are terming a bias incident.

Darren T. Walp, 33, climbed the fence of the Royal Court apartment complex, which borders the concert venue’s parking lot, without any provocation, police said, and tried to escape into the crowd following the incident.

A county sheriff’s officer who was working at the concert spotted Walp, and Camden County Police officers arrested the Ridley Park, PA, resident.

“We have zero tolerance for such bias acts and will seek the strongest prosecution and jail sentence possible,” Camden County Police Department Chief J. Scott Thomson said in a statement. “Furthermore, I will ask the United States Attorney's Office to review for the possibility of a federal prosecution.”

Walp was charged with fourth-degree bias intimidation and fourth-degree criminal trespassing, as well as harassment and disorderly persons. His bail was set at $5,000 cash, and was still in the Camden County Jail as of Sunday afternoon.

The charges carry the potential of prison time if Walp is convicted, and if convicted on the bias charge, he could also be ordered to undergo counseling or complete one of various programs centered around civil rights and diversity, and could also have to make payments or other compensation to community-based programs or local agencies that help bias intimidation victims.

Anyone with additional information about this incident is asked to contact Det. Luis Sanchez at 856-757-7420 or via email at ccpolice@camdencounty.com.