People trying to turn every police use-of-force incident into the flashpoint of violent revolution are starting to encounter some resistance.
A Pennsylvania judge has taken an extremely hard line with several protesters – setting their bail at $1 million each – after the individuals allegedly rioted over the fatal police shooting of a Lancaster man who picked up a knife and came after an officer with it.
FOX News reports that Lancaster police arrested a dozen adults and one juvenile for trying to start the riots around 3 a.m. on Sept. 14. The clashes led to police tear-gassing the crowd.
The violence followed the death of Ricardo Munoz, a mentally ill 27-year-old who was seen on body cam footage charging at a cop with a knife in hand. The officer shot and killed Munoz on the afternoon of Sept. 13 outside his mother’s house in downtown Lancaster.
The officer involved in his shooting was responding to a 911 call placed by Munoz’s mother, stating that her son was getting “aggressive” with her and trying to break into her home, police said.
The mob marched from the scene of the shooting on Laurel Street to the police station, throwing bottles, rocks, bricks, jugs of liquid and plastic road barricades at cops, police said.
A county vehicle parked in front of the station was damaged.
Twelve adults between the ages of 18 and 43 face numerous felony and misdemeanor charges, including arson, riot, institutional vandalism and criminal conspiracy. A 16-year-old also faces charges of riot, disorderly conduct, possession of instruments of crime, possession of a small amount of marijuana, propulsion of missiles onto a roadway and institutional vandalism.
About 150 protesters returned to the streets on Sept. 14 calling for “justice” in Munoz’s death. Those demonstrations remained peaceful, PennLive.com reported.
Munoz’s family has said he suffered from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and was off his medication at the time.
