(John Ransom, Headline USA) A Black Lives Matter rioter who threw Molotov cocktails at police in Portland in 2020 has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to 14 felony counts.
Malik Muhammed, 25, ironically was celebrated by the local media in Indianapolis previously as somewhat of an apostle of peace, when he supposedly negotiated a standoff to riots in Indiana with hugs by police and protesters, reported the Indianapolis Star.
“As protests over the police killings of black Americans spread throughout Indianapolis during the summer of 2020, Malik Fard Muhammad emerged as an emblem of peace,” said the Indy Star.
That’s a very different Malik Muhammad than the one described by prosecutors in Portland, according to the New York Post.
Indiana BLM rioter Malik Muhammed who threw Molotov cocktails at Portland police sentenced to 10 years in prison https://t.co/L4WJS7L4U1
— Blue Lives Matter 💎 (@RetiredNYCPD) March 31, 2022
“On September 5, 2020, Muhammed constructed multiple Molotov cocktails. He then brought those explosive devices, along with baseball bats, to a planned protest event that evening at the East Portland Police Precinct Building,” according to a statement from Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt, said the New York Post.
“During the event, Muhammed handed out the bats and threw multiple explosive devices in the direction of police officers,” Schmidt added.
“One of those devices landed short and caused a fiery explosion which engulfed a fellow protester in flames, causing severe injuries to that person’s legs.”
In addition to the jail term, Muhammed is required to pay $200,000 in restitution, said the Indy Star.
WISHTV 8, also of Indianapolis, remembered Muhammad a little bit differently, calling him a “central figure” in the riots that took place in Indianapolis in 2020, even if he did hug a cop that day.
Muhammed is a former Army tank specialist and dairy farm worker, who traveled with his girlfriend, according to investigators, to deliberately take part in the riots in Portland, Oregon, reported WISHTV.
Muhammad was originally charged with attempted murder, and DNA evidence linked him to the Molotov cocktail, but the charges were reduced because of a plea agreement, said WISHTV.
Hopefully the Indy Star will resist the temptation to call him a “fiery, but mostly peaceful” protester.
