Minneapolis 'Umbrella Man' who smashed windows during George Floyd protests was a white supremacist trying to incite riots, police say
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Minneapolis police suspect the infamous "Umbrella Man" who was seen smashing windows among peaceful protests is a white supremacist who was trying to incite riots.
The man is a member of the Hell's Angels biker gang who was seeking to escalate racial tensions in the aftermath of George Floyd's killing, police told the Star Tribune.
The man, who hasn't been identified, has not been charged with a crime.
Photos and videos taken on the night riots broke out in Minneapolis showed a gas-mask wearing person dressed in all black and carrying an umbrella smashing the windows of an Auto Zone with a hammer.
As videos of his actions went viral, many speculated that the person wasn't an anti-racism protester, but rather an outside agitator who intended to turn peaceful protests violent.
Two months later, Minneapolis police say they suspect that's the case.
—Javier Morillo 🇵🇷🏳️🌈 (@javimorillo) May 28, 2020
The Star Tribune reported Tuesday that police have identified "Umbrella Man" as a white supremacist and Hell's Angels biker gang member who attended the protests in an effort to escalate racial tensions.
After smashing the windows at the Autozone, it was set on fire. Those actions "set off a chain reaction" that lead to dayslong looting a rioting that caused about $500 million in damages, police told the Star Tribune. Two people died during the riots.
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"This was the first fire that set off a string of fires and looting throughout the precinct and the rest of the city," police arson investigator Erika Christensen wrote in a search warrant viewed by the Star Tribune. "Until the actions of the person your affiant has been calling 'Umbrella man,' the protests had been relatively peaceful. The actions of this person created an atmosphere of hostility and tension. Your affiant believes that this individual's sole aim was to incite violence."
In videos from the scene, actual protestors can be heard trying to stop "Umbrella Man."
"Those cops will come for you if you're pulling that crap," Brad Svenson, a Minneapolis man said while recording one video. "That's garbage, pulling that s---."
Another video on social media shows a man in a pink T-shirt chasing the man away.
"Guy just came with a hammer and smashed the windows," said the woman who recorded the scene.
"Are you a f---ing cop?" someone can be heard asking the man.
There was some speculation online at the time that the man was a St. Paul, Minnesota, police officer, which the department was quick to reject.
Police were able to identify the 32-year-old suspect due to a tip that came by email last week, the Star Tribune reported.
He's associated with the Aryan Cowboy Brotherhood, a small white supremacist prison and street gang based in Minnesota and Kentucky, according to the local paper.
He's also been connected to an incident in Stillwater, Minnesota, where a Muslim woman was confronted by a group of men wearing white supremacist garb, according to the Star Tribune.
He has not yet been charged with a crime.
Read the original reporting in the Star Tribune »»
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