Two men threw Molotov cocktails into a Dakota County courthouse last Friday as unrest spilled into the Twin Cities suburbs in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in police custody, according to t…
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Two MN men charged with throwing Molotov cocktails into Dakota County courthouse
By
DANE MIZUTANI |
dmizutani@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer Press
June 3, 2020 at 6:23 p.m.
Two men threw Molotov cocktails into a Dakota County courthouse last Friday as unrest spilled into the Twin Cities suburbs in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in police custody, according to the United States Attorney’s Office
Fornandous Cortez Henderson, 32, and Garrett Patrick Ziegler, 24, from Savage and Long Lake, respectively, have been charged with arson and possession of Molotov cocktails. They made their initial court appearance Tuesday before Magistrate Judge Becky R. Thorson in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis.
Garrett Patrick Ziegler
Apple Valley police responded to a fire alarm at the Western Service Center in Apple Valley last Friday, according to a criminal complaint, and found broken windows, smoke, and flames coming from the building. Located at the scene were items consistent with those used in Molotov cocktails, including broken glass jars and liquor bottles, pushpins, intact glass jars containing ignitable liquid, and a charred red bandana.
They also found a set of car keys in the grass near the Western Service Center belonging to a Ford Fiesta parked in a nearby parking lot. They later executed a search warrant on the vehicle, which was registered to Ziegler, and found liquor bottles, a store receipt from last Thursday for three bandanas, an empty cardboard box for 12 mason jars, an empty Kingsford brand lighter fluid bottle, alcohol bottles, a plastic jar containing a clear unidentified liquid and a store receipt from last Wednesday for nail polish remover.
Fornandous Cortez Henderson
After putting out there fire, officers spotted Henderson and Ziegler on a nearby road and arrested them. According to a criminal complaint,, Henderson fled and was apprehended a short distance away, and Ziegler repeatedly resisted arrest.
After being apprehended, Ziegler informed officers that he lost his glasses near the Western Service Center and requested that officers retrieve them. They did and provided them to him at the police station.
Both men also gave false statements to the officers, according to a criminal complaint, stating they used Metro Transit to travel to 38th Street and Chicago Avenue last Friday to participate in protests following the death of Floyd. Metro Transit, though, had temporarily ceased operations last Thursday.
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