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Upstate NY Man Charged With Conspiring In Molotov Cocktail Attack On NYPD
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Sydney Pereira
Published Jul 5, 2020
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Scott Heins/Gothamist
By
Sydney Pereira
Published Jul 5, 2020
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An Ulster county man was arrested for providing glass bottles to Samantha Shader, who faces federal charges for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at an occupied NYPD vehicle on May 29th during mass demonstrations against police violence in Brooklyn, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York announced Saturday.
Timothy Amerman, a 29-year-old painter from Saugerties, had been asked by Shader if he wanted to join her in New York City for protests to "cause some hell," a complaint against Amerman reads.
He declined, but allegedly provided Shader with glass bottles and other supplies, according to the complaint, which details interviews with Amerman from late last week.
Amerman allegedly believed Shader "planned to use them as projectiles to throw at police and counter-protesters at the protest march in New York City," but did not think she would "use the glass bottles to create Molotov cocktails or to kill police officers," according to the complaint.
He was charged with civil disorder and civil disorder conspiracy for helping Shader, a 27-year-old Castkills resident who allegedly threw the homemade cocktail at the van, in which four NYPD officers were seated. No one was injured in the attack.
When authorities searched the car Shader used, they found a handwritten note addressed to "Sam" and her younger sister Darian, saying: "I found a few more glass bottles Than I thought I had, Though still not many. I'm giving you my mask in hopes That helps. Wish I had more. There's also a bag in here for you. BE SAFE Please. Really Good Luck, - Love Tim."
Amerman admitted to writing the note, which was found with his fingerprints on it, the complaint says.
He had allegedly planned to place the note with a bag of masks, rope, plastic baggies, and marijuana as well as provide two cans of paint and a recycling bin with glass bottles. He also gave Shader 10 dollars for gas.
The complaint detailed Shader's admission to throwing the device—but also her attempt to blame a group of Black men and women who she said approached her on the street to give her the bottle.
Shader, who denied constructing the Molotov cocktail, "described the man who handed the bottle to her as a 'thicker guy' with hair in 'skinny dreads' that were different colors," according to the complaint. She described another man as smaller with a hat and a thin woman with "poofy" hair in a pony tail.
Shader said she didn't know the bottle was a Molotov cocktail and that the man wanted to "prove a point." The court papers say Shader felt it was "important at the time she took the bottle because she was the only white person in the area."
An image of Samantha Shader throwing a Molotov cocktail May 29th, 2020.
U.S. Attorney's Office For The Eastern District Of New York
Both Shader and Amerman had reposted or shared Facebook posts rationalizing riots, the complaint says, citing social media posts arguing that "Black people should be allowed to burn down the country they built for free." Amerman re-posted another post that said, "riots ARE NOT evidence of us being unorganized in our demands but evidence of us being profoundly human and tired." Shader also said she spray-painted ACAB—an acronym for All Cops Are Bastards—on traffic cones in Brooklyn.
Amerman's defense attorney was not immediately known. If Amerman's convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison.
He had an initial appearance Saturday afternoon in federal court in Albany, and he'll have a removal hearing Monday upstate. He will be prosecuted in Brooklyn Federal Court.
In a separate incident, two Brooklyn lawyers may face life in prison for throwing a Molotov cocktail at an empty NYPD vehicle that same evening. Last week, the lawyers, Urooj Rahman, 31, and Colinford Mattis, 32, were released from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn while they await trial.
Though there were arrests during the demonstrations in late May and early June for charges such as throwing the Molotov cocktails, stealing, or assaulting an officer, more than half of detainments were for low-level offenses like violating curfew or unlawful assembly, according to data from the first 11 days of protests. NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan defended the detainments, stating the "streets were out of control" and NYC was a "dangerous place to be" in the early days of the protests, which began May 28th.
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molotov cocktail
Timothy Amerman
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Sydney Pereira
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