Man faces federal assault charge in attack against Rep. Ilhan Omar during town hall
The syringe and liquid authorities said Anthony Kazmierczak used, which was taken into evidence by the Minneapolis Police Department. (US District Court. District of Minnesota)
(MINNEAPOLIS) — The man who was arrested after charging at Rep. Ilhan Omar during a town hall in Minneapolis has been charged by the Justice Department with assaulting a federal representative, a complaint shows.
Anthony Kazmierczak, 55, has been charged with “forcibly assaulted, opposed, impeded, intimidated and officer and employee of the United States,” according to the federal complaint.
He allegedly had a syringe filled with apple cider vinegar when he charged at Omar while she stood at a podium on Tuesday, according to the affidavit.
“I squirted vinegar,” he allegedly said after being tackled by security, according to the affidavit, which included an image of the syringe.
At the time of the incident, Omar was talking about how Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem should resign.
“She’s not resigning. You’re splitting Minnesotans apart,” Kazmierczak allegedly said as he was being led away, according to the affidavit.
He was arrested and initially booked into Hennepin County Jail on suspicion of third-degree assault, Minneapolis police said Tuesday.
A “close associate” of the suspect told the FBI that several years ago, Kazmierczak allegedly said, “Someone should kill that b****,” while talking about Omar during a phone call, according to the affidavit.
After the incident, Omar told reporters that she won’t be intimidated.
“You know, I’ve survived more, and I’m definitely going to survive intimidation and whatever these people think that they can throw at me because I’m built that way,” she said.
Tuesday’s attack came amid tensions in Minneapolis between local officials and the Trump administration over the immigration crackdown in the city that has seen two U.S. citizens killed in shootings involving federal law enforcement.
Booking photo of Mohamed Soliman. (Boulder Police Department)
(DILLEY, Texas) — The wife and five children of the man suspected of throwing Molotov cocktails at a crowd of pro-Israel demonstrators last June were ordered released from federal custody by a judge on Monday.
The family of the suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, has been detained in immigration custody for more than 10 months at the family detention facility in Dilley, Texas.
Eric Lee, an attorney representing Hayam El Gamal and her children, told ABC News the family has not been released despite the federal judge’s order. There is a hearing in their case on Thursday.
“Although the court has ruled that the El Gamal family is detained in violation of the Constitution, the government continues to keep them locked up,” Lee told ABC News. “We demand their immediate release.”
A federal judge blocked the family’s deportation in June after the Department of Homeland Security announced they were being processed for removal shortly after the attack.
Soliman, 45, is facing more than 100 charges including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and assault. He has pleaded not guilty.
In court documents, Soliman’s family — which includes five children aged 18, 16, 9, and 5-year-old twins — have claimed authorities are continuing to detain them despite a lack of evidence that they played any role in the attack.
“The facts of this case have not changed: Mohammed Soliman is a terrorist responsible for an anti-Semitic firebombing in Boulder,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement Tuesday.
“The judge wants to release this terrorist’s family onto American streets,” she added. “Under President Trump, DHS will continue to fight for the removal of those who have no right to be in our country, especially national security threats.”
Lee, the family’s lawyer, said on X that El Gamal was rushed to the ER last week after she was denied proper medical care for persistent chest pain.
“We do not know if the lump is cancerous, all we know is that the pain is increasing, the incidents are becoming worse and worse, and she is not receiving a proper diagnosis that could lead to proper treatment,” Lee said. “After 10 months in detention, Ms. El Gamal remains in pain.”
While DHS did not respond to questions about El Gamal’s medical care, the agency in previous statements has denied allegations about the lack of medical care at Dilley.
“These allegations of illegal aliens being denied proper medical care in ICE custody are FALSE,” said Dr. Sean Conley, DHS’ chief medical officer, in a statement posted on the agency website. “It is both policy and longstanding practice for aliens to receive timely and appropriate medical care from the moment they enter ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, women’s health, mental health services, any needed follow up medical appointments, as well as 24-hour emergency care. This is better, more responsive healthcare than many aliens have ever received in their entire lives.”
No one was injured in Woods’ rollover car crash in Jupiter Island, Florida, in March, Martin County officials said. Woods has pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.
Woods did not appear at Tuesday’s hearing, but his lawyers argued for a protective order, saying the golf legend’s medication records should not be open to the public and should only be given to limited people involved in the case, like the prosecution and law enforcement, according to ABC West Palm Beach affiliate WPBF.
The prosecution conceded that Woods has a right to privacy from the general public, WPBF reported.
The judge approved the state’s request for the subpoenas and also approved the defense’s request for the protective order, permitting the medication records to be released, but restricting who gets access to them, WPBF reported.
The March 27 accident unfolded when Woods tried to pass a truck in front of him, authorities said. Woods clipped the back of the truck’s trailer, causing the golfer’s SUV to tip on its side, authorities said.
Two hydrocodone pills were found in Woods’ pants pocket, the probable cause affidavit said. A breathalyzer showed no alcohol in his system, but Woods refused to take a urine test, which is used to detect drugs or medication, authorities said.
In this July 31, 2021, file photo, a Black Lives Matter activist holds a picture of Casey Goodson Jr. during a march and rally, in Columbus, Ohio. (Sopa Images via LightRocket via Getty Images, FILE)
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — A jury in Columbus, Ohio, reached a partial verdict on Thursday in the retrial of a former Ohio deputy Jason Meade, who was charged in the 2020 shooting death of 23-year-old Casey Goodson, Jr.
The jury found Meade guilty of reckless homicide, but failed to reach a verdict on the murder charge.
“We the jury, upon our oaths and law and evidence in its case find the defendant guilty of reckless homicide,” the judge read after a partial verdict was reached.
The judge said that the jury was hung on the murder charge and he declared a mistrial on that count. He also revoked Meade’s bond after the partial verdict was reached. The decision came after the 12-member jury communicated to the judge earlier on Thursday that they were deadlocked and believed it was “impossible” for the group to reach a “unanimous decision” on a verdict. The judge asked them to resume deliberations.
Meade’s first trial in Feb. 2024 ended in a mistrial after the jury failed to reach an agreement.
Goodson’s mother, Tamala Payne, welcomed the jury’s decision and said that Meade now “has to stand accountable for what he did to Casey.” “It gives us closure. It gives us peace. And now I’m sure I speak for my family when I say this, I know now, Casey can rest,” she added.
ABC News reached out to Meade’s defense attorneys, but requests for comment were not immediately returned.
Brian Steel, the president of the police union that represented Meade, spoke out during a post-verdict press conference, saying that he is “disappointed” in the jury’s decision.
Special prosecutor Tim Merkle said that the state is “pleased with the partial verdict.”
“We appreciate the hard work the jury did. They have spoken, and we’re pleased with that,” he added.
Merkle said that while the murder charge remains “unresolved,” prosecutors have not made a decision on whether they will pursue a third trial on that charge.
The jury, which is made up of nine women and three men, began deliberations on Wednesday afternoon and resumed on Thursday morning. Meade, who did not take the witness stand during the trial, pleaded not guilty.
On the day of the fatal shooting, Goodson had gone to a dentist appointment, prosecutors said, and was returning to his home while listening to music on his AirPods and carrying a bag of sandwiches when he was fatally shot.
Meade was working with the U.S. Marshals on that day in search of a potential violent fugitive when he fatally shot Goodson. Goodson was not the target of the search.
Meade’s defense team argued during the trial that the former sheriff’s deputy followed Goodson and pursued him after Goodson allegedly pointed a gun at other cars while driving.
At the center of the case was the defense team’s claim that Meade was acting in self-defense when he fatally shot Goodson, claiming that Goodson had pointed a gun at Meade before he was killed. Goodson was entering his home at the time.
Prosecutors disputed this claim and argued that Goodson’s fatal shooting was unjustified and said that the 23-year-old did not pose an “imminent threat” and was killed with his keys in the door as he tried to get inside.
A gun was found in Goodson’s possession with the safety on, according to police. Goodson was a legal gun owner and had a concealed carry permit, which was found in his wallet, police said. No body camera video of the incident exists because at the time, Franklin County Sheriff’s deputies were not issued body-worn camera equipment.
During the trial, which began with opening statements last week, the state called detectives, law enforcement officers, Goodson’s family, a medical examiner, forensic firearms and use of force experts to the stand. Meanwhile, the defense called one witness — a use-of-force expert — before resting their case. The jury was shown body camera footage of the aftermath of the shooting, a reenactment video that was produced by the FBI and before the trial began, the jurors visited the scene of the incident.
During the trial, special prosecutor Tim Merkle argued on behalf of the state that this case is about the “six shots in the back” that killed Goodson.
“Six shots in the back,” Merkle said. “The evidence will show that on Dec. 4, 2020, the defendant shot Casey Goodson Jr. six times in the back, killing him. At the time Casey had entered his house, he was carrying a bag of Subways and was listening to YouTube music on his AirPods.”
Kaitlyn Stephens, a defense attorney for Meade, argued that Meade’s fatal shooting of Goodson was a “justified tragedy” that occurred because Meade perceived a “threat” after Goodson “pointed a gun” at the sheriff’s deputy — a claim that prosecutors dispute.
“The evidence will show that Jason Meade was justified — a justified tragedy as such,” Stephens said.
“He’s going into the house with a gun. That is not an imminent threat, that is not an immediate threat, that is not a threat,” Merkle said. Stephens told jurors that the law requires them to consider the incident from Meade’s perspective “as a reasonable” law enforcement officer.
“Our defense will require you to answer two questions. Question one, did Jason believe he was about to be shot when he saw Mr. Goodson point the gun at him?” Stephens said. “And question two was Jason’s decision to use deadly force reasonable through the eyes of a reasonable police officer standing in Jason’s shoes without 2020 hindsight.”
Goodson’s family attended the trial, and his grandmother, Sharon Payne, his sister, Janae Jones and his uncle, Ernest Payne, Jr., testified on behalf of the state.
