The FBI is seeking the public's help in identifying the so-called "Umbrella Man" seen in a viral video breaking windows at a south Minneapolis AutoZone store before later vandalizing the city police department's Third Precinct building during the 2020 unrest that followed George Floyd's killing.
The bureau's Minneapolis division issued an alert on Tuesday asking for help identifying the man, whom the FBI dubbed a "person of interest." The white male was seen carrying a black, opened umbrella — earning the "Umbrella Man" moniker on social media — as he broke windows at the auto parts store on Lake Street and later damaged the Third Precinct building that eventually burned.
The FBI shared photos of the man, who also wore a black baseball hat adorned by a yellow logo with the letters L, M, Co and a black shirt with a picture on the front of it. Images of the man were not of a quality to reveal what was depicted on the front of his shirt. His face is covered by a white face mask in images of his front side.
The FBI is asking that anyone with information about the man's identity or information about the case to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
Minneapolis police, in a July 2020 search warrant affidavit, said they had identified the man as a member of the Hells Angels biker gang based on an email tip. Investigators wrote that the tipster said the man "wanted to sow discord and racial unrest" by damaging the building. A Minneapolis police arson investigator blamed the vandalism for sparking a chain reaction that started days of rioting and looting. Dozens of buildings across the city would burn down in the following days.
Minneapolis police spokesman Garrett Parten said Tuesday that the search "remains an active and open case. There is no additional information outside of the FBI press release today."
The FBI's request for help on Tuesday did not allege ties to any organized groups, nor did it offer further identifying information about the man other than his appearance in the video.
