Four people were sentenced Wednesday for damaging government vehicles and stealing equipment after a non-fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis.
Federal prosecutors say two government vehicles were damaged after the Jan. 14 shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis. FBI mechanics estimated at least $20,000 in damage to each vehicle, according to court documents.
Among the stolen items were a rifle, handgun, suppressor, tactical vests, laptop, gas mask, ammunition, and FBI clothing and badges, charging documents add.
The Department of Homeland Security previously claimed one of the men tried to attack ICE agents with a shovel before barricading himself inside his home.
Neighbors and witnesses at the scene shared a different account of events, saying one of the men was chased by federal agents before agents hit his car, then fired shots through the door of a home, hitting Sosa-Celis in the leg.
Attorneys for the federal government initially charged Sosa-Celis and another man for the incident, in which Homeland Security claimed an agent was hit with a snow shovel and broom handle. Prosecutors later dismissed those charges, citing “newly discovered evidence in this matter is materially inconsistent with the allegations in the complaint affidavit.”
However, several protesters were arrested and charged for actions in the aftermath of the incident.
James Christopher Lauer and Michael Wallace Johnson III were each sentenced to one year probation and ordered to jointly pay $1,615 in restitution. Korey Carroll was also sentenced to a year probation and ordered to pay $1,585 in restitution. Lanisha Latrice Taylor was sentenced to 60 days probation and ordered to pay $50 in restitution.
Courtesy of KSTP
