Gov. Gary Herbert thanked Terrance Mannery, a "local hero" who stood up to an antigay mob during Utah Pride.
The Republican politician posted a praiseworthy message Wednesday to Twitter, in which he revealed he also met with Mannery to thank him in person.
"Had the pleasure of meeting Terrance Mannery, a local hero from the incident @utahpridefest, tonight," stated Herbert. "Thank you for coming to the defense of others, for supporting members of the LGBTQ+ community when they were in peril, and for making Utah a better place for everyone."
Earlier this month, four gay men ran for their lives from the Utah Pride Festival when a group of seven to 15 young white men chased them yelling slurs.
Mannery, a shopkeeper at Doki Doki, a dessert spot, fought the hateful mob off, preventing them from entering the establishment after the gay men sought refuge there.
After the incident, Irie Cao, who owns Doki Doki, described Mannery as "the guy who protects people."
"If he saw anyone being threatened or anything, he doesn't care if it's 10 or 20 of them out there -- he's still going to run out and help," she said.
Police are still searching for the assailants.
