Hennepin County Drops Charges Against Jake Lang, Citing Communication with Police
Minneapolis, MN — Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty will not press felony riot charges against white supremacist provocateur Edward Jacob “Jake” Lang for his latest hate rally in Minneapolis, citing “extensive evidence of communication and logistical coordination between the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) and Lang’s security detail,” according to a press release on Tuesday.
Bloomington Police arrested Lang on Saturday following his “N***** March” at the Minneapolis City Hall in protest of a Minnesota court finding Shiloh Hendrix guilty of disorderly conduct after calling an 8-year-old the n-word at a Rochester playground.
Lang may face misdemeanor charges from the City of Minneapolis if the city’s attorney chooses to prosecute, Moriarty confirmed later in an X post. The protester dressed as Spider-Man, however, is currently facing charges.
“Mr. Lang had been in prison for four years for violent crimes committed against law enforcement at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, before being released from prison after being pardoned by Donald Trump,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in the press release, in reference to Lang attacking Capitol police with a baseball bat during the attempted overturning of the 2020 presidential election results. “His actions on Saturday were despicable and disgusting.”
Lang’s last appearance in Minneapolis in January drew a similarly large crowd. On that occasion, Lang was pursued through downtown Minneapolis by hundreds of irate residents, chasing him through a hotel lobby and into a stranger’s car.
His return, marketed with a very prominent racial slur, was sure to draw more anger from the community. Despite lacking a permit for the hate rally, the MPD coordinated with Lang to see the “march” carried out.
According to the Star Tribune, who reviewed “several days’ worth of back-and-forth communication,” it was the MPD’s Lt. Deitan Dubuc who communicated with Lang, even replying with fist bump emojis.
Unicorn Riot previously reported on Dubuc getting mocked by other MPD officers, including the current 3rd Precinct Inspector Jose Gomez. A former Canadian football player, Dubuc’s had at least 17 complaints filed against him and has been suspended without pay and given written reprimands by former Chief O’Hara and former Interim Chief Huffman. In January, Dubuc was a lone officer preventing hundreds of anti-ICE protesters from entering the Home2 Suites before a bloodied federal agent crashed the protest.
Because of the communication between Dubuc and Lang, Moriarty’s office stated “we simply cannot prove the requisite intent in light of the evidence of communication and logistical coordination.”
Additionally, they are unable to pursue felony assault charges in the case of Lang’s truck hitting a police officer, because, according to the officer’s own report of the incident, “he did not believe the driver saw what was happening.”
No mention was made in the report of Lang’s private security immediately pepper spraying counter-protesters and members of the media despite a heavy police presence. According to Minnesota law, “A person who [intentionally exposes another or the other’s property to an obnoxious or harmful gas, fluid, or substance, with intent to injure, molest or coerce] and knows that doing so creates a risk of death or bodily harm or serious property damage is guilty of a felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years or to payment of a fine…”
Lang’s security, armed with handguns holstered in their tactical vests, would go on to work with police in pushing back counter-protesters and guiding the truck along the sidewalk.
Lang is currently being held in the Hennepin County Jail awaiting extradition to Texas. His arrest in the Twin Cities violated the conditions of his bail in the Lone Star State, where he is currently facing charges of trroristic threats.
All six people arrested alongside Lang have been released as of Aug. 25. Counter protester Matthew Norby was also released after being held on a probable cause riot charge.
William Love, the Minneapolis Spider-Man, is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 4 at 1:15 p.m. Local activist groups are asking residents to pack the court in support of the defendant.
Cover image contributed by L. Cam Anderson. Niko Georgiades contributed to this report for Unicorn Riot.
Related Jake Lang coverage:
Who Attended Jake Lang’s N-Word March in Minneapolis?
Minneapolis Once Again Thwarts White Supremacist Jake Lang
The Many Humiliations of White Supremacist Jake Lang
Far-Right Provocateur Jake Lang Chased Out of Minneapolis During Hate Rally
Jake Lang’s Campaign of Terror
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