Viral ‘Umbrella Man’ video identified by police as white supremacist trying to initiate violence
Footage and pictures taken in Minneapolis on the 27th of May showed a person dressed in black, wearing a gas mask and carrying an umbrella, breaking the windows of an AutoZone with a hammer.
After the materials went viral, a lot of people speculated that the criminal was not a protester but an agitator trying to provoke further violence.
A couple of months later, authorities say they suspect that’s the case.
Last Tuesday, The Star Tribune reported that authorities had identified the “Umbrella Man” as a white supremacist linked to the Hells Angels biker gang who was going to protests in an attempt to provoke further tensions between races in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death.
After smashing the windows of the AutoZone store, it was set on fire.
Later on, days of looting and rioting ensued that caused $500 million in damages and killed two people, the report said.
“This was the first fire that set off a string of fires and looting throughout the precinct and the rest of the city,” Sgt. Erika Christensen, wrote in a search-warrant affidavit obtained by the publication. “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 the videos, protesters can be heard trying to stop the inciter. “Those cops will come for you if you’re pulling that crap,” someone said while recording a video. “That’s garbage, pulling that s—.”
Another clip showed a man in a pink shirt chasing the person away.
“Guy just came with a hammer and smashed the windows,” the woman recording said. “Are you a f—ing cop?” someone else can be heard asking the man.
People on the web believed the man was a St. Paul cop, but the department quickly denied the rumor.
According to Christensen, police were able to identify the 32-year-old male as the main suspect because of a tip emailed a few days ago.
RUMOR CONTROL …
We are aware of the social media post that erroneously identifies one of our officers as the person caught on video breaking windows in Minneapolis.
We've seen it. We've looked into it. And it's false.
— Saint Paul Police Department (@sppdmn) May 29, 2020
An investigation discovered that the “Umbrella Man” had ties with the Aryan Cowboy Brotherhood, “a small white supremacist prison and street gang based primarily in Minnesota and Kentucky” and linked to Hells Angels, the report revealed.
Cops also connected the person to a case in Stillwater from last month, where some people wearing white supremacist clothing confronted a Muslim female, according to the Star Tribune.
The man has not yet been charged, according to the report.
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