Feds say far-right group coordinated attack on Minneapolis police precinct during protest

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota on Friday announced that the FBI brought charges against a member of the far-right “Boogaloo Bois” group for organizing and participating in an effort to “incite a riot” outside a Minneapolis police precinct in May amid protests against the police killing of George Floyd. 

According to the legal complaint filed Monday, Ivan Harrison Hunter, a 26-year-old from Boerne, Texas, who claims to be a member of the Boogaloo Bois, communicated with fellow members in late May ahead of a planned trip to Minneapolis as police had already started clashing with protesters in the city. 

The documents claim that federal agents obtained a video from the evening of May 28 showing an individual walking up to the door of the Third Precinct in Minneapolis and firing 13 rounds from “what appears to be an AK-47 style semiautomatic rifle.”

Federal officials said the shooter can be seen in the footage walking up to the camera and high-fiving other individuals before shouting “Justice for Floyd!”

In the hours that followed, the police building was overrun by demonstrators and severely damaged by fire. 

The federal affidavit includes screenshots from the referenced footage, in which the individual can be seen wearing a skull mask covering the lower half of his face, glasses, a baseball cap and tactical gear. 

Federal officials wrote in the complaint that another individual charged in connection with the incident who is cooperating with authorities said Hunter was the one who fired shots outside the precinct, which authorities later corroborated with several social media posts. 

Upon returning to Texas, Hunter made several posts about the event and on May 30, Hunter reportedly sent a message to another individual stating, “I set fire to that precinct with the black community,” followed by “Minneapolis third precinct,” according to the legal documents. 

On May 31, Hunter sent a message to another individual, saying, “My mom would call the fbi if she knew what I do and at the level I’m at w[ith] it.”

Federal authorities launched investigations into the Boogaloo Bois in late May, and in early June the Austin Police Department conducted a traffic stop and Hunter, who was in the vehicle, had six loaded magazines for an AK-47 style assault rifle affixed to a tactical vest he was wearing. 

Days later, federal authorities were made aware of Hunter’s affiliation with Boogaloo Bois member Steven Carrillo, who had been charged in the Northern District of California with the May 29 murder of a Federal Protective Service Officer in Oakland, Calif.

According to the press release from the U.S. attorney’s office, Hunter was arrested on Oct. 21 in San Antonio, Texas, and made his initial court appearance Thursday. 

The charges come amid increased scrutiny of militia groups suspected of inciting chaos at recent protests calling for racial justice.

Several instances of violence, including the fire that broke out at the Minneapolis police precinct, prompted calls from President Trump and his allies to send in federal agents to cities to quell the protests.