KENOSHA, WI – Police arrested nine people on Wednesday for disorderly conduct after police received a tip about several suspicious vehicles with out-of-state license plates hanging out in a remote lot near a state highway in Kenosha.
Police Break Up Apparent Antifa Plot To Light Kenosha On Fire https://t.co/j1eZUdeKVu
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 28, 2020
Three vehicles – a black school bus, bread truck and tan minivan – were stopped by Kenosha police on Aug. 26 due to suspicions that the occupants were preparing for criminal activity related to civil unrest in Kenosha.
According to Fox 29, Kenosha police received a citizen tip that the vehicles planned to meet in a remote lot near State Highway 50 and Green Bay Road.
Officers and U.S. Marshals arrived and began surveilling the vehicles and confirmed the out-of-state plates.
Police followed them to a gas station near Washington Road and 30th Avenue, where officers observed the occupants of the bus and bread truck exit and attempt to fill multiple fuel cans, according to KSTP News.
Suspecting that the occupants of these vehicles were preparing for criminal activity related to the city’s civil unrest, officers attempted to make contact and investigate.
Police noted:
“The officers exited their vehicles, identified themselves, were wearing appropriate identification and then detained the occupants of the bus and bread truck.”
The driver of the minivan tried to pull away, but the vehicle was stopped. Police forced entry and arrested the occupants.
According to police, the vehicles contained various items that included helmets, gas masks, protective vests, illegal fireworks and suspected controlled substances.
The nine individuals were arrested for disorderly conduct and are pending charging decisions by the Kenosha County district attorney, according to Fox 29.
The leader of a group of Seattle activists claimed several members were “kidnapped” and mistakenly arrested in Kenosha while in the city to “feed” protesters. With illegal fireworks.
Riot Kitchen HQ just learned that our bus crew was arrested in broad daylight in #Kenosha today – kidnapped by feds in unmarked vans.
We are currently trying to find our friends who were just there to feed people.
Please share and donate for bail via Venmo riotkitchen206 pic.twitter.com/o2TDbohvFl
— riotkitchen206 (@riotkitchen206) August 27, 2020
Federal law enforcement agents and more Wisconsin National Guard members were deployed to Kenosha on Wednesday. This was in response to pleas from local officials following three nights of violent riots, with countless businesses being looted and burned throughout the city.
The civil unrest was connected initially to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, who was charged last month with third-degree sexual assault, trespassing and disorderly conduct in connection with domestic abuse. An arrest warrant for Blake had been issued on July 6, but was vacated on Aug. 28.
Jacob Blake’s mom on violence in Kenosha: “My family and I are very hurt. And quite frankly disgusted. And as his mother, please don’t burn up property and cause havoc and tear your own homes down in my son’s name. You shouldn’t do it. … it’s just not acceptable.” pic.twitter.com/T00Fg5MOvj
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) August 26, 2020
Blake was shot in front of his girlfriend’s home on Sunday by Kenosha police after resisting arrest.
Officials have said that the mother of three of Blake’s children had called 911 and reported that he was at her house and had taken her keys.
Blake was already wanted on charges in connection with the rape and domestic abuse of the same woman in May.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice Department of Criminal Investigations said in a statement that Blake fought with police and was tased by two different officers, but the less-lethal weapon failed to control the suspect.
According to DCI, Blake allegedly admitted that he had a knife in his possession, and fled from officers to the front of his car.
The city exploded in riots after cell phone video of only part of the encounter went viral. The video appeared to show a Kenosha officer shooting Blake in the back seven times as Blake leaned into his SUV.
A knife was found inside the vehicle after the shooting, according to DCI.
Further unrest resulted from two fatal shootings by 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, who reportedly came to Kenosha to protect businesses from rioters who flocked to the city after the shooting of Blake.
One of the protesters Rittenhouse shot and killed, Joseph Rosenbaum, was caught on video prior to the shooting confronting armed people and repeatedly yelling, “Shoot me, n****!”
According to Rittenhouse’s criminal complaint filed Thursday in Kenosha County Circuit Court, an unarmed Rosenbaum followed Rittenhouse to a used car lot. A Daily Caller reporter identified as Richard McGinnis was trailing behind them.
At the lot, Rosenbaum attempted to throw a plastic bag at Rittenhouse. McGinnis, who witnessed the incident, told authorities that Rosenbaum tried to grab Rittenhouse’s Smith & Wesson AR-15 style .223 rifle before he was shot, according to the New York Post.
When Rittenhouse heard other people calling for him to be beat up, he ran away. A man hit him, but ran away after Rittenhouse fired his weapon at him.
NYT appears to confirm someone was shooting at Kyle Rittenhouse, he turned and returned fire shooting a man in the head
They also note that after falling to the ground there are 16 other gunshots heardhttps://t.co/M7wczZe1db
— Tim Pool (@Timcast) August 27, 2020
Rittenhouse continued running away, but tripped and fell down at one point.
While Rittenhouse was on the ground, Anthony Huber approached him with a skateboard in his hand and reached for the teen’s gun.
Rittenhouse then fatally shot Huber.
Gaige Grosskreutz then approached Rittenhouse and pulled a handgun on him. The teen fired his weapon and shot Grosskreutz in the arm, wounding him.
GRAPHIC: A friend of the man who rushed at the #Kenosha teen with a pistol and was shot in the arm has posted an update about his status. Doctors were able to save Gaige Grosskreutz’s right arm. The friend says Gaige regrets not being able to kill the teen. pic.twitter.com/2gJmnnroTF
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 27, 2020
Rittenhouse’s lawyer, L. Lin Wood, has insisted that his client was acting in self-defense and said:
“Take media rumors and accusations with a grain of salt. In time, lies are always revealed when truth is disclosed.”
Lawyer of alleged Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse claims self-defense as video emerges https://t.co/dm6pTazfWb pic.twitter.com/sKNUweRPdY
— New York Post (@nypost) August 28, 2020
On Friday, Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth told reporters at a press conference that some of the rioters arrested earlier in the week were still locked up because they had refused to provide identification or could not make bond.
He refused to answer any questions regarding the Blake shooting specifically. He told reporters that he hasn’t watched the two cell phone videos of the incident.
Beth has faced criticism regarding law enforcement officers who appeared to be helping and thanking militia members who were at the riots to help protect businesses.
The sheriff told reporters that the deputies seen passing out water to militia members from an armored vehicle were not from Kenosha County.
Beth said authorities were aware that militia members were in the crowd during the protests in Kenosha. He noted that their presence isn’t against the law:
“The fact that they were out there isn’t against the law.”
