Seven Charged in Connection to Saturday’s Riot

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Image Credit: Preya Samsundar/Alpha News

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Police arrested seven people on Saturday in St. Paul during an anti-Sharia Law protest where ANTIFA and other groups clashed on the Mall of the state Capitol.

As Alpha News reported, for the third time this year, protesters comprised of groups like ANTIFA have clashed with supporters of President Donald Trump at Minnesota’s Capitol building. Several fights, shouts of threats, and chants erupted in the crowd as seven members from the anti-Sharia Law group and the counter-protest group were arrested by officers.

Robert Daniel Horacek, 37, is from Zimmerman, MN. Officers arrested him with rioting charges, which would add to a lengthy criminal history. Horacek has been convicted of first degree burglary, interfering with a 911 call, and violating a “no contact order” in relation to a domestic abuse case.

Caleb Emerson Murphey, 35, of Minneapolis was also arrested for rioting. Like Horacek, Murphey has a lengthy criminal history. Murphy was convicted of tampering with a motor vehicle and entering without the owner’s permission, trespassing, theft, receiving stolen property, and domestic assault by strangulation.

Drew Alberty Cleland, 30, from Big Lake, Ian Matthew McDonnell, 27, from Minneapolis, Nicholas Michael Sullivan Kelley, 18, from Nerstrand ,and John Allen Meyer, 19, from St. Cloud have no other serious criminal records. All three have been charged with obstructing the legal process and rioting.

Matwell Hunter Lindusky, 18, of St. Paul Park, was not charged with riot, but with felony assault of a peace officer. Felony assault can result in hefty monetary fines and jail time.

Police are still investigating  the March 4 Trump rally on March 4, when rioters clashed with Trump supporters inside the Capitol. Six, including the son of former Vice Presidential candidate nominee for the Democratic Party, Tim Kaine, were charged in May. There were no known arrests from the May 6 event at the state Capitol.

Dozens of police officers from various agencies around the Twin Cities were on hand to separate protesters and keep the peace. However, when I was personally attacked by a member of the security team hired by ANTIFA, members of the State Patrol followed their orders to hold the line and take statements afterwards.

Preya Samsundar

Preya Samsundar was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. She graduated from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities this Spring with a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology, with a minor in Strategic Communications. Preya has previously worked on several State Campaign Races.