Man who pointed bow and arrow at Salt Lake City protesters charged with assault
A Salt Lake City protest went viral on Saturday when a man got out of his car, grabbed his bow and arrow, and started to point it at a group of protesters. Now, he's facing felony charges.
Brandon McCormick has been charged with two counts of possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, one count of aggravated assault, and one count of threatening or using a dangerous weapon in a fight, District Attorney Sim Gill said Thursday.
"These are allegations, Mr. McCormick is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law," Gill's statement said. "The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office continues to gather evidence regarding this incident."
In a video of the incident, McCormick can be heard saying "I'm an American. All lives matter," as he loads the bow. After he pointed it at the protesters surrounding his car, at least 15 people retaliated by punching, kicking, and throwing things at him, according to CBS affiliate KUTV. His vehicle was flipped and caught fire. It's unclear in the video if he fired at the group before he was attacked.
How are you gonna scream “ALL LIVES MATTER” and then proceed to shoot people with your bow and arrow
— fatima (@goldenfatoon) May 31, 2020
pic.twitter.com/CFVQ850N0w
Immediately after the incident, McCormick participated in an interview with Fox affiliate KSTU. He appeared to have a black eye and a cut along his forehead. He told the Fox reporter that "he got beat up" when he yelled 'all lives matter,' and then again after he pulled out his weapons.
"I back up the law enforcement. I know some cops are bad. I know all racists are bad," he said. "I have been marching with these people all the way down here, and all the way down here trying to convince them all lives matter."
He said in the interview that he pulled out his bow and arrow after he was beat up through his car window, but various other videos do not appear to show such an incident happening. He does not appear to be visibly injured prior to aiming his bow at protesters.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported that McCormick has a criminal record, including charges related to a road rage incident in May. The 57-year-old spent nearly two decades in jail in California, and has been convicted of battery against a public safety officer, the Tribune reported.