A black man seen wearing a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood at a Virginia shopping center Tuesday told sheriff's deputies that he was performing a social experiment, according to authorities.
The Stafford County Sheriff's Office was called to a Target store at the Stafford Marketplace around 2:30 p.m. to investigate reports of someone wearing the costume, Maj. Shawn Kimmitz said in a video statement posted to social media. Deputies found the person in the robe, identified him as a black man and determined he didn't live in the area, he added.
Deputies warned him about wearing a mask in public and he left the scene, Kimmitz said. Virginia law prohibits wearing masks with the intent to conceal identity in public.
A photo posted to Twitter by a witness at the shopping center showed someone dressed in the white robe and hood talking to deputies while others looked on.
The sheriff's office didn't identify the man.
