Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the account of the incident as detailed in the DeKalb County police report.
An argument between two Tucker residents led to an arrest and accusations of campaign sign removal, racial slurs and the brandishing of firearms.
Giancarlos Tsitsilianos, 38, faces counts of simple battery and misdemeanor property damage after DeKalb County police said he slapped a cellphone out of Correll Bilbrew’s hand, breaking the phone. The incident took place while the two men were arguing over Tucker mayoral candidate signs.
Bilbrew, 43, accused Tsitsilianos of removing signs for mayoral candidate Robin Biro from the BP gas station off Lilburn-Stone Mountain Road, where several campaign signs were planted, including signs for incumbent Frank Auman. Bilbrew told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday that he placed Biro’s signs there with permission from the gas station’s owner.
He said Tsitsilianos claimed he was the owner, but he gave up after Bilbrew called the actual business owner, who was out of town at the time.
“So the guy (Tsitsilianos) threw the signs down and said, ‘(expletive) you,” Bilbrew said, adding that the suspect used a racial slur. “I went into my pocket to grab my cellphone, and I said, ‘Hey, call me (racial slur) one more time.’”
Bilbrew said Tsitsilianos then knocked the phone on the ground, damaging it. Bilbrew added that the suspect lifted up his shirt to show that he had a handgun during the incident.
Police said investigators verified the broken phone but were not able to confirm the rest of the account. The police report affirms that the charges are in response to the broken phone. Tsitsilianos told police he did not pull a gun out during the incident. DeKalb jail records show that Tsitsilianos was released the day after his arrest.
Biro, who came to the scene Friday after police arrived, said the incident does not represent Tucker’s values. He also called on Auman to condemn what took place, including the use of racial epithets and violence.
“We are all Tucker neighbors, and we should all strive to treat our neighbors as we would ourselves desire to be treated, because that’s Tucker — this ugly incident is not,” he told the AJC.
Auman told the AJC that Tsitsilianos called him from the scene, but the mayor said he wasn’t sure what fully took place. He said Tsitsilianos was a former neighbor who wanted to put up signs to support his campaign.
“I don’t have any paid staff, and I didn’t direct his activities or ask him to do anything,” Auman said. “Other than the fact that he thinks I should be mayor and he’s an enthusiastic guy, he has nothing to do with our campaign.”
The mayor said the gas station’s owner gave him permission to put signs on the property. He added that he thinks Tsitsilianos was confused whether or not the gas station’s owner allowed Biro’s signs to be placed there, which potentially led to the incident. The AJC reached out to Tsitsilianos but has not heard back.
“The only thing that I can figure is that during the incident, once Giancarlos found himself in trouble, he must have thought that maybe he could call me and I would say, ‘Oh yeah, the owner told me he doesn’t want (Biro’s signs) there,’” Auman said. “I wasn’t about to say anything like that, because I’ve been in this rodeo and we just don’t deal with other people’s signs.”
