Wild West eh? He aims bow at crowd and brandishes knife..they respond by overturning his car setting it on fire, and beating his ass!
Brandon E. McCormick has said he showed up at Saturday’s downtown protest, armed with a bow and arrow, to protect police from unruly demonstrators.
Now the 57-year-old Taylorsville man, who has spent nearly two decades of his life behind bars in California and once was convicted of battery against a public safety officer, faces three felony counts for, widely shared video has shown, aiming his weapon at protesters.
All three counts are Utah’s lowest grade of felony. Each is punishable by up to five years in prison. McCormick was also charged with a misdemeanor count of threatening or using a weapon in a fight. That count carries up to a year in jail.
The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office, which filed the charges, also asked that a warrant be issued for McCormick’s arrest with bail set at $100,000. There was no record of McCormick being booked into the county jail as of 4 p.m.
McCormick created one of the most-talked-about scenes on a day when hundreds of protesters gathered near Salt Lake City Hall and the downtown library to protest the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and against racism and police violence. He parked his car in front of the library — on a corner where many demonstrators had gathered — and exited the vehicle.
In a posted video, McCormick, responded to a stranger who asked him if he calls himself an American with: “Yes, I’m American. All lives matter.”
The charging documents say McCormick also brandished a knife at demonstrators. He then went to the back seat of his car, the documents say, retrieved a bow and aimed an arrow at those around him. The knife and archery set appear to be the basis for two of the charges against McCormick, accusing him of being a felon in possession of a dangerous weapon.
The crowd responded by attacking McCormick and flipping his car. The vehicle was burned. Police pulled McCormick out of the melee.
US protests: man points bow and arrow at crowd (graphic video) | Reuters Video
A man in Salt Lake City threatened people protesting over the death of George Floyd with a bow and arrow on Saturday. This edit contains footage some may find disturbing.
www.reuters.com
Brandon E. McCormick has said he showed up at Saturday’s downtown protest, armed with a bow and arrow, to protect police from unruly demonstrators.
Now the 57-year-old Taylorsville man, who has spent nearly two decades of his life behind bars in California and once was convicted of battery against a public safety officer, faces three felony counts for, widely shared video has shown, aiming his weapon at protesters.
All three counts are Utah’s lowest grade of felony. Each is punishable by up to five years in prison. McCormick was also charged with a misdemeanor count of threatening or using a weapon in a fight. That count carries up to a year in jail.
The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office, which filed the charges, also asked that a warrant be issued for McCormick’s arrest with bail set at $100,000. There was no record of McCormick being booked into the county jail as of 4 p.m.
McCormick created one of the most-talked-about scenes on a day when hundreds of protesters gathered near Salt Lake City Hall and the downtown library to protest the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and against racism and police violence. He parked his car in front of the library — on a corner where many demonstrators had gathered — and exited the vehicle.
In a posted video, McCormick, responded to a stranger who asked him if he calls himself an American with: “Yes, I’m American. All lives matter.”
The charging documents say McCormick also brandished a knife at demonstrators. He then went to the back seat of his car, the documents say, retrieved a bow and aimed an arrow at those around him. The knife and archery set appear to be the basis for two of the charges against McCormick, accusing him of being a felon in possession of a dangerous weapon.
The crowd responded by attacking McCormick and flipping his car. The vehicle was burned. Police pulled McCormick out of the melee.