UPDATED 6/1, 7:20 p.m. ET: Two lawyers, 31-year-old Urooj Rahman and 32-year-old Colinford King Mattis, were also arrested for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at an unoccupied police vehicle on Saturday, the New York Timesreports. The incident, which took place in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Fort Greene, resulted in no injuries. Police allege that it was Rahman, a human rights lawyer, who threw the Molotov cocktail at the vehicle. The pair, who were later hit with charges of causing damage to a police vehicle by fire and explosives, were arrested by authorities a few blocks away from where the Molotov cocktail was thrown.
“During the arrest, officers observed in plain view several precursor items used to build a Molotov cocktail, including a lighter, a Bud Light beer bottle filled with toilet paper and a liquid suspected to be gasoline in the vicinity of the passenger seat and a gasoline tank in the rear of the vehicle,” prosecutors alleged, per the New York Post.
They were both released on $250,000 bond though the U.S. Attorney's Office plans on appealing the decision.
27-year-old Samantha Shader, the woman accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail in Crown Heights, was not offered bail and is in federal custody. Her court hearing is scheduled for June 12. Shader's sister Darian was detained for allegedly interfering with Samantha's arrest.
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Following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of several Minneapolis police officers, protests have erupted across the country calling for justice and reform. While most of the demonstrations have been peaceful, some have turned into chaos as protesters clash with the police.
Following protests happening in New York City over the past few days, two women have been arrested and accused of being responsible for throwing a Molotov cocktail at a police van with officers inside.
According to NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea, Samantha Shader is believed to be the culprit responsible for throwing the would-be explosive. While it is still unclear what exact federal charges Shader looks to face, it has been confirmed that she has already been charged with assault, attempted arson, criminal possession of a weapon, and reckless endangerment. The cocktail she threw did not go off.
Her sister Darian Shader, on the other hand, looks to receive lesser charges including obstructing governmental administration. The sisters are not from New York City, but rather Catskill, New York, which is about two hours away from where they were when they threw the cocktail.
Protests in New York City have continued since Thursday and look to carry on despite protesters clashing with NYPD officers during them. One of the most recent cases of this happened on Saturday afternoon when an NYPD cruiser attempted to bulldoze through a crowd of protesters in Brooklyn.
