Federal authorities say a Texas man traveled to Minneapolis to participate in the riots that followed the death of George Floyd in May and that he fired rounds from an AK47 style rifle into the Third Precinct.
U.S. Attorney Erica H. MacDonald announced on Friday a federal criminal complaint against Ivan Harrison Hunter, 26, charging him with participating in a riot. Hunter, who was arrested on October 21, 2020, in San Antonio, Texas, made his initial appearance Thursday in U.S. District Court in San Antonio.
According to the allegations in the criminal complaint and a law enforcement affidavit, in late May of 2020, the FBI initiated an investigation into members of the “Boogaloo Bois” based on information that members were discussing committing crimes of violence and were maintaining an armed presence on the streets of Minneapolis during civil unrest following the death of Floyd while in police custody in late May.
The U.S. Department of Justice describes the Boogaloo Bois as a loosely connected group of individuals who espouse violent anti-government sentiments. The term “Boogaloo” itself references an impending second civil war in the United States and is associated with violent uprisings against the government. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) offers a lengthy breakdown of the Boogaloo movement and describes the ideology as primarily anti-government, anti-authority and anti-police in nature.
The ADL states in its analysis of the movement that the boogalooers’ anti-police beliefs prompted them to participate widely in the Black Lives Matter protests following the death of Floyd.
The ADL points out that a number of boogalooers traveled across the country and showed up with military gear, weapons, tropical shirts and other boogaloo symbols. Most boogalooers who took part did so because of their own strong anti-police attitudes, perceiving an opportunity to make common cause with others angry about police brutality.
According to the allegations in the criminal complaint and affidavit, between May 27 and May 28, 2020, Hunter, who claims to be a member of the Boogaloo Bois, traveled in interstate commerce from Texas to Minneapolis, Minnesota, with the intent to participate in a riot.
Federal agents reviewed a video taken on the night of May 28, 2020, that shows an individual, later identified as Hunter, discharge 13 rounds from an AK-47 style semi-automatic rifle into the Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct building. At the time of the shooting there were other individuals believed to be looters still inside the building. Law enforcement recovered discharged rifle casings from the scene that were consistent with an AK-47 style firearm.
The complaint further states that upon returning to Texas, Hunter made various statements on social media describing the violence in which he engaged in Minneapolis. On June 3, 2020, officers with the Austin Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a pick-up truck for numerous traffic violations. Hunter was one of three occupants in the vehicle. Hunter, the front seat passenger, had six loaded magazines for an AK-47 style assault rifle affixed to a tactical vest he was wearing. Officers also found three semi-automatic rifles on the rear seat of the vehicle, one loaded pistol in plain view next to the driver’s seat, and another loaded pistol in the center console.
Several days after the traffic stop, federal agents became aware of Hunter’s online affiliation with Boogaloo Bois member Steven Carrillo, who has been charged in the Northern District of California with the May 29, 2020, murder of a Federal Protective Service officer in Oakland, California.
The U.S. attorney’s press release said this case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
This case falls within the purview of the Attorney General’s Task Force to Combat Violent Anti-Government Extremism. Launched in June 2020, the Task Force is dedicated to supporting the investigation and prosecution of any person or group who commits violence in the name of an anti-government ideology.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
