 Portland rioter Gabriel Agard-Berryhill, 18, was arrested on Thursday night after allegedly being identified by internet sleuths on 4chan thanks to an online review his grandmother left on a vest she bought for him.
The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office website says he was booked at 9:29 PM on Thursday night.
Agard-Berryhill is being charged with attempted arson, according to The Oregonian.
He told the judge quite the story, as The Oregonian reports:
An 18-year-old man made his first appearance in federal court Friday on an attempted arson allegation, accused of lighting and throwing a large firework Tuesday over the fence that struck and set on fire protective wood covering the entrance to the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse.
Agard-Berryhill told federal officers that an unknown man in a ski mask handed to him what he thought was a spinner-type firework that would spin with varied colors when lit.
Agard-Berryhill said he was going to light it and throw it in the area of Southwest Third Avenue, but others told him that some people in the crowd have post-traumatic stress from tear gas being launched by federal officers and directed him instead to throw it over the fence towards the courthouse.
He admitted he lit the device, described as the size of a piece of chalk, and threw it over the fence, according to the affidavit.
Agard-Berryhill said he was shocked to hear the “concussive” sound that it produced and it scared him, the affidavit says. He told federal officers he didn’t intend to hurt anyone.
[...] U.S. Magistrate Judge Jolie A. Russo allowed Agard-Berryhill to be released, The Oregonian reported. Here's video of Agard-Berryhill throwing the "firework" at the Portland federal courthouse early Tuesday morning.
The affidavit confirmed he was identified as a result of an online review his grandmother left on a vest she bought for him in combination with YouTube clips showing his outfits.
"I got this for my grandson who's a protestor [sic] downtown, he uses it every night and says its [sic] does the job," user "GrammaF" of Oregon posted in a vest review on Hibbett last week along with a picture of her grandson.
Agard-Berryhill was given the nickname "Simpothy McVeigh" after he was allegedly filmed shielding a naked sex worker (NSFW link) walking in front of police.
The Department of Justice released the following statement on Friday:
Portland Man Charged in July 28, 2020 Arson at Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse
PORTLAND, Ore.—U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams announced today that Gabriel Agard-Berryhill, 18, has been charged by criminal complaint with using fire to maliciously damage the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in downtown Portland on July 28, 2020.
“No legitimate protest message is advanced by throwing a large explosive device against a government building. Mr. Agard-Berryhill’s actions could have gravely injured law enforcement officers positioned near the courthouse, other protesters standing nearby, or himself,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “I applaud the ATF agents and U.S. Marshals Service deputies who worked quickly to identify Mr. Agard-Berryhill before he had an opportunity to hurt others.”
“The violent opportunists engaged in dangerous acts of violence, such as arson, need to realize there will be grave consequences,” said Russel Burger, U.S. Marshal for the District of Oregon. “Serious crimes of this nature go beyond mere property damage to the courthouse and endanger people’s lives.”
According to court documents, at approximately 11:50pm on July 28, 2020, security cameras at the Hatfield Federal Courthouse captured footage of a large incendiary object enter the building’s portico area and land near plywood sheeting affixed to the building’s façade. A few seconds later, the object exploded, igniting a fire near the building’s main entrance. Federal law enforcement personnel collected various items near the site of the explosion and sent them to a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) laboratory for further analysis.
ATF investigators reviewed social media posts from the night of the explosion and located videos of the incendiary object being thrown. The individual depicted throwing the object, later identified to be Agard-Berryhill, was a young, Caucasian male wearing a green colored vest, camouflage pants, and a mask. Investigators observed the person in other protest-related videos posted online wearing the same vest and attempting to hold a shield in front of a naked woman.
Investigators also found a post on Twitter depicting a product review for the vest. The review included a photo of a person wearing the vest who matched the description of the person seen throwing the explosive device. The review states “I got this [vest] for my grandson who’s a protestor [sic] downtown, he uses it every night and says its [sic] does the job.” Investigators later found the same photo on a Facebook page and, using law enforcement databases, were able to positively identify Agard-Berryhill.
Agard-Berryhill made his first appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge and was ordered released pending further court proceedings. Arson is punishable by up to 20 years in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years.
This case is being jointly investigated by ATF and the U.S. Marshals Service. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
Criminal complaints are only accusations of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. [This post has been updated with additional information]
Follow InformationLiberation on Twitter, Facebook, Gab and Minds.
|
