Georgia state Rep. Erica Thomas said she wants police to charge the man who she claims told her to "go back to where you came from."

Thomas told WSB-TV about her demand that Eric Sparkes be charged after a press conference in which she said she was "not backtracking" her initial claim.



State Rep. Erica Thomas just told us she wants police to charge the man who confronted her in a Mableton grocery store. At 12, how this controversy has gone viral, and how both Dems and Repubs are reacting to it. pic.twitter.com/m45wKyBHxL — Richard Elliot (@RElliotWSB) July 22, 2019



The Georgia Democrat originally claimed Friday that Sparkes had confronted her in a Publix grocery store checkout line and told her to "go back to where you came from."

Thomas appeared initially to backtrack the claim on Saturday, saying in an interview: "I don't know if he said 'go back,' or those types of words ... I don't know if he said 'go back to your country' or 'go back to where you came from,' but he was making those types of references is what I remember."

"So you don't remember exactly what he said?" a reporter asked Thomas.

"No, no, definitely not. But I know it was 'go back' because I know I told him to 'go back,'" the lawmaker responded.





Sparkes has argued Thomas' version of the story is "untrue" and that the worst thing he said was to call her a "bitch" for having too many items in the express checkout.

"That's all I said after that, and I walked out of Publix," he said, adding that he is of Cuban descent. "Her words stating on [Facebook] in her video, stating I told her she needs to go back where she came from, are untrue."



This is Eric Sparkes. He says he did call @itsericathomas the B word...but says the other things she said are not true. pic.twitter.com/9q5JU5CwBp — Christian Jennings (@CJenningsWSB) July 20, 2019



Sparkes responded to Thomas' press conference by saying he was considering a defamation lawsuit against the lawmaker.

"Ms. Thomas has taken an innocuous situation that began on my part to be about being inconsiderate and turned into a national case about race over night," Sparkes said in a statement Monday. "Ms. Thomas accuses me of telling her to go back to wherever. Those words were never spoken. She backtracked slightly and now is changing her story. I am in the process of exploring with attorneys a defamation lawsuit against her."



The man State Rep. Erica Thomas encountered in a grocery store just sent me a statement reacting to her morning newser: “Ms. Thomas has taken an innocuous situation that began on my part to be about being inconsiderate and turned into a national case about race over night....” pic.twitter.com/LnMkQozABx — Richard Elliot (@RElliotWSB) July 22, 2019

Eric Sparkes’ statement continues: “Ms. Thomas accuses me of telling her to go back to whereever. Those words were never spoken. She backtracked slightly and now is changing her story. I am in the process of exploring with attorneys a defamation lawsuit against her.” — Richard Elliot (@RElliotWSB) July 22, 2019



The war of words between Thomas and Sparkes has gained national attention after President Trump told four liberal congresswomen to "go back" to their home countries.