A man showed up with a bow-and-arrow in the middle of a Salt Lake City protest, but the protesters surrounded and took him down, jumping on his car and, by some accounts, setting it on fire, according to viral videos of the incident.
The videos show the man pointing a bow-and-arrow at protesters, who then surround and jump on him. One man comes at the guy with a skateboard. People also throw things at him. According to KSTU-TV, the man claimed his name was Brandon McCormick and said he pulled up on scene to help officers because he had weapons. He gave an interview “blooded and bruised.” However, the TV station reported that citizen videos, which you can watch below, instead show him randomly pointing the bow-and-arrow at people.
“He’s shooting a f*cking bow,” says someone in one of the videos. “Get this motherf*cker, man,” says another person.
“Look at this. You call yourself an American,” one woman challenges the man in a viral video. “Yes, in America, all lives matter,” he responds, according to Fox 13. When he points the bow and arrow, the woman says “Don’t you dare!”
Twitter user @TheJazzyUte shared one of the videos and wrote, “Here is the video of the crossbow guy in downtown Salt Lake City who attempted to attack protesters. He was quickly overwhelmed & his car overturned.”
Here is the video of the crossbow guy in downtown Salt Lake City who attempted to attack protesters. He was quickly overwhelmed & his car overturned.
Another Twitter user, @princesslondyxx, shared a second video and wrote, “WELL THIS JUST HAPPENED IN DOWNTOWN SALT LAKE CITY. f*cking bastard deserved it. WHO THE F*CK DOES THIS?!”
A third video shows an overturned car.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Man, Who Is Also Accused of Having a Knife, Was Taken Into Custody
One Twitter user wrote, “He was yelling and me, and then aimed his bow at a black man standing behind me. The black man saw it coming, charged, and tackled him. The SLC police retreated and allowed rioters to light the man’s car on fire.”
According to KSL.com, police took the man into custody. Witnesses said he “pulled out a knife and crossbow in the midst of a group of protesters in downtown Salt Lake City,” the television station reported, adding that some people said that it was the man’s car that was lit on fire.
The National Guard arrived. The incident occurred at 200 East and 400 South, according to KSL, which reported that the man had a “large knife attached to his side” and a crossbow and arrow and allegedly “attempted to shoot someone.”
A series of other intense videos also emerged from cities throughout the country as George Floyd protests and riots escalated into violence in some areas. For example, in Chicago there was an all-out street brawl between police officers and protesters, according to this video. In Atlanta, a video caught a bicycle officer shoving a bike at a woman. Protesters threw an American flag in a river outside Trump Tower in Chicago. In Oakland, a federal protection officer was shot and killed. In New York City, videos captured two NYPD squad cars running over protesters.
The Salt Lake City incident was part of a series of protests and riots that escalated throughout the United States in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A viral video showed a police officer, Derek Chauvin, with his knee on Floyd’s neck. Floyd died, Chauvin and three other officers were fired, and Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter charges. Businesses were torched and looted in Minneapolis, and the protests and riots then spread throughout the country in many major cities, with some peaceful and some not.
As the unrest escalated in Salt Lake City, Gov. Gary Herbert wrote, “We condemn violence and looting. I have activated the National Guard to help control the escalating situation in downtown Salt Lake City. I once again call on all who are protesting to do so peacefully.”
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