A 26-year-old self-described member of the "Boogaloo Bois" has been charged with participating in a riot by federal officials Friday.

Ivan Hunter, who claims to be a member of the "Boogaloo Bois", a loosely-connected group of individuals who espouse violent anti-government sentiments, allegedly fired 13 rounds from an AK-47 into the Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct building in May during civil unrest following the death of George Floyd.

 

What You Need To Know

  • A 26-year-old from Texas was charged with participating in a riot 

  • The self-described member of the "Boogaloo Bois" allegedly fired 13 rounds from an AK-47 into the Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct building in May during civil unrest following the death of George Floyd

  • The "Boogaloo Bois" are a loosely-connected group of individuals who espouse violent anti-government sentiments

  • Supporters of the movement frequently show up at protests armed with rifles and wearing Hawaiian shirts

 

According to a release from the Department of Justice, Hunter traveled from Texas to Minneapolis with the intent to participate in a riot. Federal investigators reviewed a video that allegedly shows Hunter firing 13 rounds from an AK-47 style semiautomatic rifle into the building; law enforcement recovered "discharged rifle casings consistent with an AK-47 style firearm" from the scene.

According to an FBI affidavit, after shooting into the building, Hunter allegedly high-fived someone and yelled "Justice for Floyd!" before running away.

Floyd, a Black man, died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for nearly eight minutes, as Floyd repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe. His death, captured on bystander video, sparked protests in Minneapolis and beyond.

Authorities began investigating the Boogaloo Bois after learning that some members were discussing violence and were armed during the unrest in Minneapolis. Boogaloo supporters, who use the movement’s name as a slang term for a second civil war or collapse of civilization, frequently show up at protests armed with rifles and wearing Hawaiian shirts.

Two other self-described members of the group, who allegedly toted guns on Minneapolis streets during unrest following the death of George Floyd and spoke about shooting police were charged in September with "conspiring and attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization."

In that case, the two men were charged with conspiring to provide and attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, for allegedly building firearms suppressors that they believed they sold to Hamas, and for allegedly offering to fight as “mercenaries” for the group.

During the investigation, federal law enforcement officials became aware of Hunter's affiliation with Steven Carrillo, who was seperately charged for the murder of a Federal Protective Service Officer, according to the DOJ release.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.