Back in July 2020, the Minneapolis Star Tribune posted a photo of someone dressed in all black attire just before he smashed in windows of a Minneapolis Auto Zone. The incident occurred May 27, 2020, two days after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police. The vandal, who was referred to as Umbrella Man, was accused of inciting the riots which began shortly thereafter.
According to the Strib story, law enforcement eventually learned the identity of this person.
"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 filed in court this week. "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."
Police identified "Umbrella Man" thanks to a tip that came via e-mail
Because that person wasn't charged as of July 2020, he wasn't identified in the story. But if indeed Umbrella Man was who the email claimed he was, that person had a extensive criminal record in addition to having ties to a white supremacist group. Naturally this was met with glee by certain people since "white supremacy" was a drum beat they'd had going since Donald Trump was elected President.
But then a strange thing happened. The story just......disappeared. In July 2021, I even commemorated the 1-year anniversary of this Star Tribune hit.
This story was published by the Strib one year ago today.
— Brad Carlson (@Brad_Carlson) July 28, 2021
Has Umbrella Man been charged with anything or even brought in for questioning????https://t.co/cLLIbcUT6V
Then another year came and went. Still nothing.
So you can imagine my surprise when the St Paul Pioneer Press published this story on Tuesday.
The identity of “Umbrella Man” has remained a mystery since he was seen in video footage smashing out windows at a business in Minneapolis two days after George Floyd was killed in May 2020.
In the days that followed, a social media rumor — proved untrue — claimed that the shadowy suspect, who was dressed in all black with most of his face covered, was a St. Paul police officer. St. Paul police immediately denied the accusation and later released evidence that the officer in question was in St. Paul at the time of the incident at AutoZone on East Lake Street.
Then, about two months later, Minneapolis police, following an anonymous tip, zeroed in on a 32-year-old suspect described at the time in a search warrant affidavit as a white supremacist who sought to “incite violence.”
Now, the FBI is asking the public for help in identifying “Umbrella Man,” as he became known on social media and in news reports.
So without saying it in so many words, it would appear the email tip Minneapolis Police received in 2020 did not pan out. Nevertheless, those who were desperate to politicize these riots felt validated by a thinly-sourced allegation that a "white supremacist" was responsible for incitement. And hey, if Umbrella Man is ever identified, he may indeed turn out to be someone of that ilk. But if it's ascertained that he was merely a sh*t disturber, there will be nary any apologies or introspection on the part of those who trafficked such reckless speculation.
One final thought: Why is this being drudged up now? Is there any event taking place in Minnesota within, oh I don't know, the next few weeks which could be impacted by a break in this case?
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