REGIONAL— Months after civil unrest in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd rocked Minneapolis, law enforcement officials are beginning to reveal the extent to which outside agitators may have contributed significantly to some of the estimated $500 million in damage to portions of the city’s Lake Street commercial district.
The most recent glimpse into the unrest is found as part of a newly released federal arrest warrant that charges a Texas man, Ivan Hunter, with involvement in the destruction of the Third Precinct office of the Minneapolis police. A months-long investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation has pieced together the involvement of members of a right-wing sect calling themselves the “Boogaloo Bois,” which the FBI describes as a “loosely-connected group of individuals espousing violent anti-government sentiments.”
According to an affidavit from FBI Special Agent Jason Bujold, the term “Boogaloo” refers to the group’s belief in an impending second civil war in the U.S., which its members hope to foment.
By tracking social media posts and through the use of informants, the FBI was able to demonstrate how members of the Boogaloo Bois coordinated their activities in an apparent attempt to inflame protests against the killing of George Floyd, an African-American man, by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin back in May.
Hunter was in contact with a Minnesota organizer of the Boogaloo Bois, Michael Solomon, who posted on Facebook on May 26, asking for group members to contact him if they were enroute to Minneapolis. Hunter responded to Solomon’s request, posting “72 hours out” and “can you give me any confirmation of KIAs?” KIA is most commonly an acronym for “killed in action.”
A North Carolina man, Benjamin Teeter, responded as well. “Lock and load boys. Boog flags are in the air, and the national network is going off.”
The next day, on May 27, Hunter gave Solomon an update. “We’re still in route. Once we arrive we’re going to get a central command established and primary and secondary comms channels.”
On May 28, as Hunter arrived in Minnesota, he informed Solomon he was with a team of five individuals. Subsequent messages confirm that the individuals planned to meet at a Cub Foods next to the Third Precinct office. That same night, at 10:04 p.m., a security video shows two men walking into the precinct office with Molotov cocktails. Two individuals have been charged with that apparent arson, but investigators, as yet, have no evidence of their connection to the Boogaloo Bois.
Police do have evidence that Hunter was present outside the office, however, and that he fired 13 rounds from an AK-47-style rifle through the glass doors and windows of the precinct office, while other individuals were inside. Clothes, particularly an unusual skull face mask, worn by the shooter are similar to items seen being worn by Hunter. Police recovered shell casings consistent with an AK-47 rifle outside the Third Precinct office the following day.
Hunter returned to Texas the day after the shooting. Two days later, on May 30, he posted on Facebook: “I set fire to that precinct with the black community.” He subsequently clarified that he was referring to the Minneapolis Third Precinct office.
Just three days later, investigators say Hunter was present at a George Floyd protest in Austin, Texas, where police stopped Hunter for traffic violations. During the stop, police observed that he was in possession of an AK-47 style rifle, two AR-15 rifles, and numerous clips. Texas police officers report that Hunter acknowledged being a “leader” in the Boogaloo Bois in south Texas and that he had been present in Minneapolis when the Third Precinct was set on fire.
Hells Angels member may have sparked wave of arson
The arrest warrant for Hunter comes about two and a half months after Minnesota investigators linked the man who torched the AutoZone store on Lake Street to the Minnesota chapter of the Hells Angels, who “wanted to sow discord and racial unrest,” by sparking looting and arson, which perpetrators hoped to blame on Antifa, a left-leaning movement named for its expressed opposition to fascism. On May 27, two days after Floyd’s killing, the 32-year old suspect spray painted the door of the AutoZone store, suggesting that everything in the store was “free.”
Security video then shows him, dressed all in black, breaking out plate glass windows to the store with a sledgehammer. The account of the incident was contained as part of an affidavit connected to a search warrant and was first reported by the Star Tribune.
The incident at the AutoZone was the first major case of arson and looting, and police investigators say it appeared to spark a wave of similar destruction that all but destroyed a large portion of the Lake Street commercial district before spreading to other parts of the city. Up until that point, protests of the Floyd killing had been largely peaceful, according to media reports.
The destruction became a major fault line in political campaigns across the country, including in northeastern Minnesota. President Trump repeatedly blamed the destruction on members of Antifa. According to numerous media reports, including an exhaustive analysis by the Associated Press, no one with any apparent connection to Antifa has been charged in connection with violence in Minnesota during the Floyd protests.