Tag: police

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Police officer Kim Potter faces manslaughter cost

Police officer Kim Potter faces manslaughter charge

Kim Potter, the Minnesota police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright, was arrested Wednesday morning for second degree manslaughter.

The 48-year-old has bailed $ 100,000 and is due to appear in court on Thursday.

Potter’s arrest came the day after she resigned from the Brooklyn Center Police Department and three days after she shot the 20-year-old black man. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Wright’s death, while fleeing a police station, exacerbated already high tensions in and around Minneapolis over the murder trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd last year.

Kim Potter, a 26-year-old veteran of the Brooklyn Center Police Department, poses for a booking photo in Hennepin County Jail for driving 20-year-old Daunte Wright during a traffic obstruction on April 14, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota fatally shot.

Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office via Reuters

Body camera video footage of Potter during Sunday’s confrontation suggests she believed she pulled out a taser as she pointed and fired the gun at Wright after he turned away from another officer who tried to get him next to his Handcuffed SUV.

Wright had been stopped by police in Brooklyn Center because license plates had expired and an air freshener was hanging on his rearview mirror.

Police then attempted to arrest Wright after learning that he was wanted on a pending no-show arrest warrant in a criminal case accused of carrying a gun without permission and escaped police in June to be.

Potter screamed desperately and repeatedly “Taser!” before shooting Wright as he sat in the driver’s seat of his vehicle after pulling away from the other officer.

Potter’s Taser is colored pale yellow in contrast to their black 9mm Glock pistol.

Washington County, Minnesota District Attorney Pete Orput announced that Potter would be charged with Wright’s death.

Brooklyn Center, Minnesota Police Officer Kim Potter in 2007.

Bruce Bisping | Star Tribune via Getty Images

She was arrested Wednesday morning at the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Authorities said she would be detained in Hennepin County Jail and the Washington County Attorney’s Office would bring charges later on Wednesday.

Authorities said the investigation into the shooting is still active.

Wright’s older brother told NBC News that the family had hoped Potter would be charged with a more serious crime.

“I’m not very happy about this, but I will take every win I can get right now,” said Dallas Bryant, Wright’s 23-year-old brother.

A group of lawyers representing the Wright family said in a statement, “While we appreciate the District Attorney seeking justice for Daunte, no conviction of the Wright family can return loved ones.”

“This was not an accident. This was a deliberate, deliberate and unlawful use of force,” the lawyers said.

Former Police Officer Kim Potter’s home was blocked by security barricades on April 14, 2021 in Champlin, Minnesota.

Kerem Yucel | AFP | Getty Images

Potter, who served at the Brooklyn Center for 26 years and previously served as president of the police union, has retained a defense attorney, Earl Gray, according to the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association. Gray did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Gray is also representing former Minneapolis Police Officer Thomas Lane, one of two other ex-officers on trial separately from Chauvin on lesser charges for the death of Floyd, who was black like Wright.

Floyd’s assassination by Chauvin sparked nationwide protests against police misconduct against minority suspects and called for a major reform of police practices.

Wright’s death sparked protests in the Brooklyn Center and Minneapolis.

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Politics

Kim Potter resigns for police capturing

Kim Potter resigns for police shooting

Officer Kim Potter of the Brooklyn Center Police Department in 2007.

Bruce Bisping | Star Tribune via Getty Images

Police officer Kim Potter resigned Tuesday, two days after he fatally shot and killed Daunte Wright, an unarmed black man who fled a traffic obstruction in a Minneapolis suburb.

Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon also resigned Tuesday, the day after it was revealed that Potter probably shot Wright under the mistaken belief that she was holding a taser and not her pistol.

Potter, who served with the Brooklyn Center Police Department for 26 years, said she liked being a cop but resigned because “I believe it is in the best interests of the community, the department, and my colleagues for me to resign immediately” . According to a letter posted on Twitter by several news outlets.

Her resignation came after Vice President Kamala Harris said Wright should be “still alive today” as demand for police reform increased following the recent controversial murder of a black by the Minnesota police.

Harris also said that there should be “justice and healing” for Wright’s death and that “law enforcement must be subject to the highest standards of accountability”.

Former President Barack Obama said his and Michelle Obama’s “hearts are heavy” over Wright’s death.

Obama also argued that the recent police death of a black underscores the need to redefine policing in the United States.

Wright, 20, was driving an SUV when police stopped it on Sunday afternoon because license plates had expired and an air freshener was hanging on his rearview mirror.

Police arrested Wright on a pending no-show arrest warrant in a criminal case accusing him of carrying a gun without permission and escaping from police in June.

Activist Jonathan Mason holds a Daunte Wright sign in front of the crowd of demonstrators who have gathered to protest the police murder of Daunte Wright on April 13, 2021 at the Brooklyn Center in Minnesota, USA.

Christopher Mark Juhn | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Video from Potter’s body camera shows Wright turning away and ducking into his car when another cop tried to handcuff him.

Potter then shot a single shot in Wright’s chest with her pistol after repeatedly desperately saying “Taser!”

Gannon told reporters on Monday, “I think the officer intended to use his taser but instead shot Mr. Wright with a single bullet.”

Potter’s apparent confusion about which weapon she was holding has received much criticism. Tasers are colored yellow, unlike a black pistol Potter held in his hand, and are usually kept on the side opposite a police officer’s dominant shooting hand.

Both of these precautions are designed to prevent a police officer from pulling out a gun when attempting to use a taser to force a suspect to comply or to avoid injuring someone else.

Prior to her resignation, Potter, who had served as president of her town’s police union, had been on administrative leave pending an investigation by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Gannon has been replaced by Commander Tony Greuning, a 19 year old veteran in the Brooklyn Center Police Department, who will serve as deputy chief.

Wright’s shots were followed by protests and looting at Brooklyn Center and nearby Minneapolis.

The location of his shooting is approximately 14 miles from where George Floyd was killed last year by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin after Floyd was arrested on suspicion of using a forged bill.

Prosecutors suspended their case in Chauvin’s ongoing murder trial on Tuesday morning.

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Floyd’s death sparked a wave of national protests and called for police reform.

Obama noted the coincidence of Wright’s death and Chauvin’s trial in his statement describing Floyd’s death as a “murder,” although the jury has not yet passed a verdict on the case.

“The fact that this could happen while the city of Minneapolis is going through the trial of Derek Chauvin and reliving the heart-wrenching murder of George Floyd shows not only the importance of conducting a full and transparent investigation, but also how we do it urgently need to redefine police and public safety in this country, “said Obama.

“Michelle and I, along with the Wright family, mourn their loss,” Obama said in a statement.

“We feel drawn into the pain that black mothers, fathers and children feel after another senseless tragedy,” said Obama, who became the first black US president in 2009.

“And we will continue to work with all fair Americans to address historical inequalities and bring about national changes that are so long overdue.”

Floyd and Wright’s families, along with civil rights attorney Ben Crump, were due to hold a press conference in Minneapolis on Tuesday.

Crump said in a statement, “Daunte Wright is another young black man killed by those who swore to protect and serve us all – not just the whitest of us.”

“As Minneapolis and the rest of the country continue to grapple with the tragic assassination of George Floyd, we must now also mourn the loss of this young man and father. This level of lethal violence was totally avoidable and inhuman,” said Crump.

Former United States President Barack Obama speaks during a drive-in rally during the campaign for Democratic candidate Joseph Biden on October 21, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images

Minneapolis police said they arrested about 40 people Monday night for behavior ranging from curfew violations to rioting.

The looting in the city was sporadic and limited to five retail stores, police said.

Booker Hodges, deputy commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Public Security, told reporters early Tuesday, “We just want to say thank you for all of the people who have come out and peacefully exercised their first adjustment rights.”

“Unfortunately, there have been those who have chosen not to do this. And the plans we have drawn up over the past few months have been carried out,” he said. “For months we have been saying that seditious behavior simply will not be tolerated, and unfortunately these are some of the things we have encountered tonight.”

President Joe Biden said Monday that he had not spoken to Wright’s family, “but my prayers are with the family.”

“It’s really a tragic thing that happened,” said Biden. “But I think we’ll have to wait and see what the investigation shows – and the entire investigation. You’ve all seen, I suppose, as I did, the film, which is … pretty graphic. The question is, was it an accident “Was it intended? That has yet to be determined through a full investigation.”

Biden added, “I want to make it clear once again that there is absolutely no justification, none for looting, no justification for violence.”

“Peaceful protests, understandable, and the fact is we know that the anger, pain and trauma that exist in the black community in this environment are real, serious and consistent,” the president said. “But it won’t justify violence and / or looting.”

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World News

One Capitol Police officer, suspect useless after automotive rammed into two officers

One Capitol Police officer, suspect dead after car rammed into two officers

The U.S. Capitol was attacked Friday, killing a police officer after a person rammed his car into two police officers at a checkpoint.

The attacker and a US Capitol police officer both died, a law enforcement representative said at a press conference.

The US Capitol Police later identified the officer who died as William ‘Billy’ Evans, a member of the USCP for 18 years.

Sources identified the suspect to NBC News as 25-year-old Noah Green from Indiana. His Facebook page says he is a follower of Islam and that he recently lost his job and expressed his despair, NBC reported.

A Capitol Police official said the incident was currently “not terrorist related” but noted that further investigation was needed.

The Capitol Police said in a statement shortly after 2:40 pm that the threat had been “neutralized” and lifted the lockdown on the US Capitol shortly after 3:00 pm

Capitol Police confirmed that the driver jumped out of the car with a knife after ramming the vehicle into the barricade. The driver then pounced on the officers, whereupon the officers shot the suspect.

The second officer was also injured in the incident, according to the Capitol Police.

The incident occurred shortly after 1:00 p.m. ET at the North Barricade vehicle access point along Constitution Avenue, Capitol Police said. Congress was not in session at the time of the incident, but the Capitol security presence has increased since the January 6 riot.

President Joe Biden ordered the flag of the White House to be hoisted at half mast in honor of the late Capitol Police officer. He and First Lady Jill Biden were “broken” to learn of the event.

“We offer our deepest condolences to the family of Officer Evans and all who mourn his loss,” he said in a statement. “We know how difficult this has been for the Capitol, for everyone who works there, and for those who protect it. I have received ongoing information from my Homeland Security advisor and I will have more information as the investigation progresses. I want to the Capitol Police, the National Guard Immediate Response Force, and others who responded quickly to this attack to express the nation’s gratitude. “

House spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi ordered flags to be hoisted on half poles in the Capitol in light of the death of the Capitol police officer, a spokeswoman for her office said in a statement.

In another statement, Pelosi called the late officer Evans “a martyr for our democracy”.

“Members of Congress, staff and Capitol workers, and all Americans, agree that they appreciate the courage of the US Capitol police force,” she said. “Today these heroes risked their lives again to protect our Capitol and our lands with the same extraordinary selflessness and service as they did on January 6th. On behalf of the entire House, we are deeply grateful.”

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Politics

Trump Is Sued by Two Police Officers Over Capitol Riot

Trump Is Sued by Two Police Officers Over Capitol Riot

Two Capitol police officers on duty at the U.S. Capitol during the deadly January 6 riot sued former President Donald J. Trump on Tuesday, saying he was responsible for the physical and emotional injuries they suffered as a result of the events suffered that day.

Supporters of Mr. Trump overran the Capitol as Congress confirmed Joe Biden’s victory over Mr. Trump in the November presidential election. Prior to the incursion, Mr. Trump spoke at a nearby rally calling on his supporters to “show strength” and “fight like hell”.

Five people, including a Capitol police officer, died in the chaos. Mr Trump was later charged by the House of Representatives with “incitement to rebellion” but was acquitted in February after a brief Senate trial in which few Republicans broke their ranks to vote guilty.

The Capitol Police officers who sued Mr. Trump, James Blassingame, and Sidney Hemby have filed their complaints in the District of Columbia Federal District Court, each demanding more than $ 75,000 in damages plus punitive damages.

The lawsuit is the first to be brought against the former president by Capitol police officers. The force has more than 2,000 officers.

The officials’ and Mr Trump’s lawyers could not be reached for comment early Wednesday. Mr Trump previously denied responsibility for the attack.

The complaint alleged that the “insurgent mob” that stormed the Capitol was “fueled by Trump’s actions for many months into believing,” his false claims of widespread electoral fraud in November. The complaint also stated that Mr Trump’s supporters believed the raving about the Capitol was their last chance to prevent Mr Trump from being unjustly evicted from the White House.

Mr Trump “ignited, encouraged, sponsored, directed and supported and aided” the mob that overran the building and attacked police officers inside, the complaint said. It cited Mr Trump’s January 6 speech and other conduct, including failure on that day to “take timely action to deter its supporters from continuing violence”.

During the attack, Officer Hemby, an 11-year-old Capitol Police veteran, was outside the building, pressed against his side and sprayed with chemicals that burned his eyes, skin and neck. One member of the mob shouted that he was “disregarding the badge”.

Officer Hemby is still in physiotherapy for the neck and back injuries he sustained on Jan. 6 and “has tried to cope with the emotional aftermath of a relentless assault,” the complaint said.

Officer Blassingame, a 17-year veteran with the Force, sustained head and back injuries during the riot, followed by back pain, depression and insomnia.

“He is haunted by the memory of an attack and the sensory effects – the sights, sounds, smells and even the taste of the attack remain close to the surface,” the complaint said. “He is to blame for not being able to help his colleagues who were attacked at the same time. and survive where other colleagues haven’t. “

The Capitol and Metropolitan Police departments have said a total of at least 138 of their officers were injured during the riot. The injuries ranged from easy bruising to concussions, broken ribs, burns, and even a minor heart attack.

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World News

Mom of Killed Indigenous Man Advised to ‘Get It Collectively’ by Canadian Police

Mother of Killed Indigenous Man Told to ‘Get It Together’ by Canadian Police

OTTAWA – When seven police officers arrived at Debbie Baptiste’s house in August 2016, circling the house and carrying rifles, they informed her that her son was dead. Instead of comforting the grieving mother, they asked if she had been drinking and told her to “put it all together.”

The persistent treatment of Ms. Baptiste, a Cree woman, as well as other incidents of racial discrimination by police against her family were described in an independent review, which was released to the public on Monday, that examined the police’s conduct and investigation into the death of Colten Boushie, a 22-year-old Cree man in Saskatchewan.

The damning report by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Civilian Review and Complaints Commission found that officers treated Ms. Baptiste “with such insensitivity that her treatment amounted to a pretense of discrimination.” The surveillance group, which has no power to punish, also found that the police could not protect the evidence at the scene where Mr. Boushie was killed and destroyed records of the handling of the case.

“It felt like I was forever fighting a battle that could never be won,” Ms. Baptiste said at a press conference Monday. “The injustices of racism in the courtroom, the discrimination must stop. Things have to change. We need a change for the future generation. “

Mr Boushie was shot dead after he and four other Indians drove into Gerald Stanley’s property in August 2016. Mr Stanley testified in court that he believed their goal was theft, which he and his son were trying to prevent.

Mr Stanley was acquitted in 2018 after testifying that he accidentally shot Mr Boushie in the back of the head when his semi-automatic pistol exhibited a rare mechanical malfunction. The verdict shocked many Indigenous Canadians.

In a country where politicians typically shy away from court rulings, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has made healing Canada’s relations with its indigenous peoples a priority, released a message of support and met with Mr Boushie’s family after the 2018 trial.

On Monday, Mr Trudeau told reporters that the treatment of Mr Boushie’s family and friends was “unacceptable”, adding, “Unfortunately, we have seen examples of systemic racism within the RCMP in many of our institutions and we need to do so.” better.”

The National Police Federation, a union that represents the mounted police force, disagreed with the report’s findings, saying it “promotes a perspective that disregards our members and challenges their impartiality, commitment and professionalism.” In a separate response to the report, the union rejected the commission’s report on what happened at Ms. Baptiste, claiming that it “only reflected the Boushie family’s interpretation of the interaction” and not the reports of the officials present.

“The RCMP union is still asking the people of this country not to believe this woman,” Chris Murphy, lawyer for the Boushie family, told reporters. “Shame on you.”

The killing and acquittal remain a source of anger for many Indigenous Canadians who have argued the case, which has exposed significant flaws in the Canadian legal system. Mr Boushie’s family and others said the police were racially discriminatory towards them while being respectful of a farmer who was ultimately charged with murder.

Mr. Boushie was out swimming with friends when a tire fell on her Ford Escape near Mr. Stanley’s farm in central Saskatchewan. Mr Stanley testified that he and his son believed the group, many of whom were drunk, were trying to steal vehicles. The two men came out with guns and attacked the escape with a hammer. After Mr. Boushie was killed, the others fled.

As a result, the commission said, police descended on Ms. Baptiste’s home in Red Pheasant Cree Nation, her indigenous community, with two goals: to inform them of Mr. Boushie’s death and to look for a member of Mr. Boushie’s group Friends on a related investigation into theft and attempted theft. No one in the group was ultimately charged with theft.

Officers armed with rifles circled Ms. Baptiste’s house and told her about her son’s death when she came to the porch. After hearing the news, Ms. Baptiste collapsed and was taken to the house by police.

“MS. Baptiste was concerned about the news they had just given her. A member told her to bring it together,” the report said. “One or more RCMP members smelled their breath,” apparently because of it Signs of alcohol.

Although they lacked a required search warrant, police officers ransacked Ms. Baptiste’s home.

Back at the scene, the report found lax investigative practices. Immediately thereafter, little effort was made to gather forensic evidence and little was done to protect evidence on-site. Despite bad weather predictions, the Ford Escape that killed Mr Boushie was not covered, allowing rain to wash away blood spatter evidence before forensic scientists arrived about three days later, the commission said.

The commission said it also had “serious concerns” about the failure of the Serious Crimes Division to visit the scene when it took over the case. She also criticized the police for failing to tell Mr. Stanley, his wife, and son not to discuss the case together before making statements and that they were together in a family car that was part of the crime scene assembled police station were allowed to drive.

The report also found that the police were destroying records and transcripts of their communications from the time of the murder, which were in accordance with standard on-file records, but knowing that Mr Boushie’s family and the commission had filed complaints for which they were Files would have been relevant.

“We have recognized that there is systemic racism in the RCMP,” the Mounted Police Department in Saskatchewan said in a statement, adding that it plans to implement the recommendations in the commission’s report.

In addition to making recommendations that include reviewing the procedures with the officers involved in the case as well as reviewing general Mounties practices in this part of Saskatchewan, the commission said that cultural awareness training should be offered to all police officers. “Taking into account the factors identified in the latest research. “

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Brenda Lucki, who had the opportunity to comment on the Commission’s findings prior to their publication, said she accepted the main findings, despite rejecting a few small points in the report

“This entire judicial system from top to bottom must be restored,” said chief Bobby Cameron of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, which represents the First Nations in Saskatchewan, at a press conference. “Brenda Lucki, what are you going to do instead of just saying that we agree with what has been found? Big thing. Brenda Lucki, do something. ”

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Politics

Two charged with assaulting police officer Brian Sicknick in Capitol riot

Two charged with assaulting police officer Brian Sicknick in Capitol riot

George Pierre Tanios, included on the FBI arrest warrant in the photo.

Source: DOJ

Authorities have arrested two men on charges of assaulting Brian Sicknick, the police officer who died in the U.S. Capitol on January 6 as a result of the pro-Trump invasion.

Julian Elie Khater, 32, from Pennsylvania and George Pierre Tanios, 39, from West Virginia were arrested on Sunday and charged with attacking Sicknick and other officials with a substance similar to bear spray. You are currently not accused of killing Sicknick.

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During their first appearances in separate federal courts on Monday afternoon, both men were ordered to be temporarily detained behind bars until future hearings.

Video footage of Khater and Tanios on Jan. 6 shows the two men “worked together and had a plan to use the toxic spray against law enforcement,” according to a search warrant affidavit in West Virginia federal court.

Julian Khater from his court appearance on March 15, 2021.

Source: Art Lien

George Tanios from his court appearance on March 15, 2021.

Source: Art Lien

“Give me the bear s —” said Khater before reaching into Tanios’ backpack, claiming the affidavit and citing “open source media video” of the incident outside the Capitol.

“Wait, wait, not yet, not yet … it’s still early,” Tanios replied, according to the affidavit.

At around 2:20 p.m., Khater, holding a white spray canister, walks towards a bicycle rack barrier in front of the building where a number of officers, including Sicknick, were stationed, the court document says.

Minutes later, Khater appears to be lifting the canister and pointing it at the officers who, according to the affidavit, were standing 5 to 8 feet away.

City Police officer D. Chapman, armed with a working Body Weared Camera (BWC) device, holds his arm against a person identified by the Justice Department as Julian Elie Khate, who appears to be holding a canister in a still image a video captured in the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 and published on a Justice Department criminal complaint posted in Washington, United States on March 15, 2021.

DOJ | via Reuters

Sicknick and two other officers “all react one after the other to something that hits them in the face,” says the affidavit. “The officers immediately withdraw from the line, bring their hands to their faces and rush to find water to wash their eyes out,” it said.

“All three officers were unable to work and were unable to perform their duties for at least 20 minutes or more while they were recovering from the spray,” the affidavit said.

Lt. Bagshaw of the Metropolitan Police Department, armed with a working Body Weared Camera (BWC), sprayed a person identified by the Justice Department as Julian Elie Khate into a still image from a video captured on January 6, 2021 and in the United States was published criminal complaint from the Department of Justice in Washington, USA, March 15, 2021.

DOJ | via Reuters

Sicknick died around 9:30 p.m. on January 7th from injuries sustained during the riot, according to the US Capitol Police. He joined the USCP in 2008.

Both men were arrested on Sunday. Khater was arrested while getting off a plane at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, and Tanios was arrested at his home in West Virginia, according to a Justice Department press release.

Khater and Tanios are charged with attacking federal officials with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy, obstruction of an official process, restricted violence and disorderly behavior, the Justice Department said.

The most serious charges concern imprisonment for a maximum of 20 years.

“The attack on the US Capitol and on our police officers, including Brian Sicknick, was an attack on our democracy,” said Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman in a USCP statement Monday afternoon.

“Those who committed these heinous crimes must be held accountable and – let me be clear – these unlawful acts will not and will not be tolerated by this department,” said Pittman.

The statement stated that a “multi-jurisdiction investigation” into Sicknick’s death is still active.

Khater and Tanios were reportedly among the thousands who stormed the Capitol or stirred up outside the building, forced a joint congressional session to evacuate their chambers, and delayed efforts to confirm President Joe Biden’s election victory over then-President Donald Trump.

The invasion of the pro-Trump mob resulted in five deaths. To date, more than 300 people have been charged in connection with the riot and prosecutors are awaiting further charges.

The arrests were first reported by the Washington Post on Monday morning.

– CNBC’s Dan Mangan contributed to this report.

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Politics

Police Shrugged Off the Proud Boys, Till They Attacked the Capitol

Police Shrugged Off the Proud Boys, Until They Attacked the Capitol

Instead, he said in an interview, the agents asked about routes and other plans to separate the Proud Boys from the counter-protesters. Another time, he said, agents warned they had picked up potential left-wing threats against him or his employees.

But no one contacted the leaders of the Proud Boys prior to the January 6 event, Mr Tarrio said, even though their gatherings at previous Trump rallies in Washington had been marred by serious violence.

“You didn’t reach us,” he said.

In the summer of 2017, neo-Nazis, Klansmen and other white supremacists gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia to announce their resurgence in the Unite the Right rally. Its organizer, Jason Kessler, was a member of the Proud Boys.

The group was founded a year earlier by Gavin McInnes, now 50, the co-creator of the media company Vice. (The company has long since severed ties.) He was a Canadian New Yorker with a series of statements targeting feminists and Muslims, and he often expressed a semi-ironic appetite for chaos. “Can you call for violence in general?” he asked once in an online video. “‘Because I am.”

The Proud Boys had volunteered as bodyguards for right-wing fires like Ann Coulter and Milo Yiannopoulos, and often bumped into left-wing crowds, especially on college campuses. Proud Boy’s “free speech” rallies in bastions of the left like Seattle, Portland or Berkeley, California routinely ended in street fighting.

Still, Mr. McInnes avoided the Unite the Right gathering, saying in an online video, “Deny, reject, reject.” According to him, the Proud Boys were not white supremacists, but merely “Western chauvinists”. This attitude helped the Proud Boys evade federal law enforcement control.

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Health

Melee Close to College of Colorado-Boulder Injures three Police Officers

Melee Near University of Colorado-Boulder Injures 3 Police Officers

BOULDER, Colorado. – At a large gathering that turned into hand-to-hand combat on Saturday night near the University of Colorado Boulder, several students bleed and gassed, at least two vehicles were damaged and three SWAT officers were injured, police said.

The officers were injured trying to disperse the crowd in the University Hill neighborhood of Boulder. The officers were hit with bricks and stones and suffered minor injuries, the Boulder Police Department said on Twitter, and the windshield of an armored car used on the scene was broken.

Over 100 people ran up to the officers before tear gas was used, city police chief Maris Herold said at a press conference on Sunday. The crowd was largest around 7 p.m. and included up to 800 people, the boss said.

Most of the participants did not take precautions against the coronavirus, such as social distancing or wearing masks. Infectious disease experts have raised concerns that spring break social gatherings and travel could lead to an increase in coronavirus cases due to warming weather and local restrictions.

Boulder County’s District Attorney Michael T. Dougherty said the episode marked a “huge setback” in the city’s efforts to fight the pandemic. Jeff Zayach, the county’s public health director, described the lack of mask wear and social distancing as “shocking and disturbing.”

Colorado recently reached 6,000 deaths from Covid-19, according to a New York Times database.

The university said it was “aware of a large party on University Hill on Saturday night and allegations of violence against police officers responding to the scene.”

“We condemn this behavior,” it said, adding, “it is unacceptable and irresponsible, especially given the level of training, communication and enforcement” regarding coronavirus restrictions.

The neighborhood known as Hill is home to bars and many of the university’s brother and sisterhood houses. Anna Haynes, editor-in-chief of the CU Independent, a student-run news site, wrote in the New York Times last year, “It’s the place to go, whether it’s a pandemic or not.”

Students who live in the neighborhood said people had small gatherings in their courtyards on Saturday to enjoy a warm day after being penned in by cold weather and coronavirus restrictions.

But when videos of the scene were posted on social media, people who didn’t live there or weren’t affiliated with the university, like high school students, began to gather on the street.

Updated

March 7, 2021, 9:35 p.m. ET

While it was clear that not every person was a student in the university, “we are not going to try to change the guilt,” said Pat O’Rourke, the university’s chief operating officer.

Brynn Umansky, a junior at the university who lives in the University Hill neighborhood, said, “As soon as it got dark it turned into a whole mob and literally grew overnight until the cops came.”

“It was really scary and horrible and the police didn’t do anything for hours,” she said. “It was a lot, especially to live here and see everything and not be able to do anything about it.”

Ms. Umansky and her roommates watched the scene from their balcony as people climbed onto their roof and tried to enter. Kendall St. Claire, a junior who lives with Ms. Umansky, said the participants threw bottles and stones at police cars, injuring people in the process.

The injured “just came into our house and we couldn’t stop them,” said Ms. St. Claire, adding that most of them were severely intoxicated. “At least three people I saw had cuts in the middle of their foreheads,” she said.

Class disturbed

Updated March 2, 2021

The latest on how the pandemic is changing education.

Isabella Sackheim was with Mrs. Umanksy when someone told her that her car, a silver Nissan Versa, had been run over.

“The people cheered,” said Ms. Umansky. “It was terrible. It was definitely a mob mentality.”

The police received calls about “a big party” on the block shortly before 5:00 pm, the city said. At 5:40 p.m., the city said “the crowd swelled and individuals began throwing glass bottles at the officers,” and at 5:48 p.m. the Boulder Police Department activated their SWAT unit. It wasn’t until 9 p.m. that the crowd began to disperse, the city said.

Ms. Sackheim said the episode was “really disappointing” but that she was encouraged by the efforts of the university community to help her. A friend of Ms. Sackheim’s set up a GoFundMe page and someone posted their Venmo username on social media, she said, raising $ 9,000 to replace her car.

During the hand-to-hand combat, people once danced on an Amazon van, the students said. One of the people on the truck was summoned, the police chief said.

No arrests were made on Saturday, although some quotes for public health violations were posted earlier in the day, Chief Herold said. The department is reviewing footage from the body camera, as well as photos and videos posted on social media, to help identify those involved, she said.

Frida Carlson, a senior citizen, said she hoped the university would step up coronavirus testing and consider canceling face-to-face classes for two to three weeks, fearing the gathering may have been a superspreader event.

Mr O’Rourke said that face-to-face classes will continue this week, but students may raise concerns about their professors. City and university officials asked everyone at the gathering to quarantine and run virus tests for 10 days. Mr O’Rourke said students would not be identified or punished for looking for tests.

“I’m sure there will be an outbreak,” said Ms. Umanksy.

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Politics

Capitol Police put together for potential militia plot in opposition to Congress

Capitol Police prepare for possible militia plot against Congress

The US Capitol Police Department said Wednesday it had received information showing a “possible conspiracy to breach the Capitol” on Thursday “by an unidentified militia group”.

“We take this information seriously,” said the Capitol Police in a press release that also said the authorities are prepared for possible violence.

“Due to the sensitive nature of this information, we cannot provide any additional details at this time.”

The warning came a day after the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI sent an intelligence bulletin to state and local law enforcement agencies warning that some domestic groups were “discussing plans to take control of the U.S. Capitol and Democratic lawmakers on or.” to remove March 4th “. “A senior police officer told NBC News on Wednesday.

The exposure of the potential threat comes almost two months after the Capitol uprising on Jan. 6, when thousands of supporters of then-President Donald Trump broke into the halls of Congress and disrupted the confirmation of President Joe Biden’s election.

Five people died in connection with the attack, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick.

March 4th is considered a significant date by some extremists, especially among supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theory, as it was the date for the presidential inauguration until 1937. Some QAnon supporters believe that that day Trump can take back power.

The joint Homeland Security and FBI bulletin states that “domestic violent extremists” or “militia-violent extremists” were encouraged by the January 6 attack and are therefore at greater risk.

The bulletin states that extremists continue to “perceive electoral fraud and other conspiracy theories related to the presidential transition that can help (domestic violent extremists) mobilize to violence without warning”.

Trump has falsely claimed for months that he lost the election to Biden due to widespread election fraud. No such fraud was found.

The Capitol Police said in their statement on Wednesday that they “know and are prepared to face possible threats to members of Congress or the Capitol complex.”

“We have already made significant security improvements to ensure the creation of a physical structure and increase in the workforce to ensure the protection of Congress, the public and our police officers,” the police said in their statement.

“Our department is working with our local, state and federal partners to halt any threat to the Capitol.”

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Politics

Capitol Police suspends 6 officers, investigates dozens extra in probe of Jan. 6 riot

Capitol Police suspends 6 officers, investigates dozens more in probe of Jan. 6 riot

A US Capitol police car drives past the US Capitol in Washington, USA on January 26, 2021.

Al Drago | Reuters

The U.S. Capitol Police have suspended six paid officers and are investigating the behavior of more than two dozen others involved in responding to the deadly Capitol riot, the NBC News division said Friday.

The department’s investigation into the January 6 attack, which resulted in five deaths and triggered a joint session of Congress focusing on safety concerns, “is still under investigation,” spokesman John Stolnis said in a statement.

The USCP’s Personal Responsibility Office “is investigating the actions of 35 police officers as of that day,” six of whom are currently suspended for payment, the statement said.

Yogananda Pittman, who took office as incumbent chief shortly after Steven Sund resigned from the USCP following the Capitol violation, “has ordered that any member of her department whose conduct does not comply with the department’s code of conduct be subjected to appropriate discipline will be. “according to Stolnis.

The investigation’s update comes days after House spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Announced that Congress will set up an independent commission to investigate the storming of the Capitol by a group of supporters of former President Donald Trump should.

Pelosi’s office did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the USCP statement.

Dozens of officials from across the country who took part in the riot or attended Trump’s rally nearby before the mob attacked the Capitol were investigated by their departments, according to an Associated Press poll last month. Some have been charged while others have been on leave, the AP reported.

The security failure that resulted in the Capitol being overrun by Trump’s supporters sparked a massive backlash against the USCP and its leadership. The department’s police union reportedly passed a vote of no confidence in the armed forces’ top leaders, including Pittman, earlier this month.

– CNBC’s Christian Nunley contributed to this report.