The masked man who went viral after being seen smashing the windows of a local auto shop in Minneapolis amid the protests was a white supremacist, police believe.
The man who became known as “Umbrella Man” is suspected to be a member of the Hell’s Angels biker gang and sought to incite racial tensions during the George Floyd protests, authorities said Tuesday. The man’s actions acted as a catalyst for days of looting and rioting that spread throughout the city after Floyd’s death in police custody.
The suspect, 32, has been connected to other incidents, including when a Muslim woman was confronted by a group of men wearing white supremacist apparel, according to the Star Tribune.
At the same Auto Zone where the man smashed the windows, he also is believed to have spray-painted, “Free shit for everyone zone,” on the front doors of the store. Police were able to identify the subject using an emailed tip that came into the department.
A subsequent investigation into the man also revealed that he was an associate of the Aryan Cowboy Brotherhood, a small white supremacist prison and street gang based in Minnesota and Kentucky. The man has not yet been charged with a crime.
