A federal criminal complaint was filed Friday against a Minneapolis man accused of breaking into a Federal Bureau of Investigation vehicle and stealing a rifle during civil unrest in North Minneapolis earlier this month, authorities said
Thirty-three-year-old Raul Gutierrez of Minneapolis was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and theft of government property in federal court, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota announced. Gutierrez is expected to make his initial federal court appearance in the coming days.
Federal authorities said Gutierrez is a known member of the Latin Kings gang with a documented history of involvement in trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine. DEA officials identified him as the individual seen in open-source videos removing the rifle from the FBI vehicle after it was left at the scene of unrest.
“Gutierrez is known at DEA as a violent criminal with a history involving fentanyl and methamphetamine drug trafficking and distribution,” Drug Enforcement Administration Omaha Field Division Special Agent in Charge Dustin Gillespie said.
“In support of this investigation, DEA identified him as the individual seen breaking into an FBI vehicle on January 14. The combined efforts of federal law enforcement agencies and the Violent Offender Task Force led to the swift arrest and removal of a Latin King member that instilled fear and pushed poisons into our communities,” Gillespie added.
U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen stated, “Despite the incitement of violence against federal law enforcement by local officials, which resulted here in the theft of a firearm from an FBI vehicle and the destruction of government property, this United States Attorney’s Office and Department of Justice will always put the public safety of Americans first. This alleged gang member, who is a previously convicted felon, is a danger to the community and this case is an indictment of the weak-on-crime policies promoted by the Mayor and Governor.”
The alleged incident occurred on Jan. 14 as FBI personnel were providing support to the Department of Homeland Security in an operation in Minneapolis that included the use of force in an arrest attempt, according to the press release. As agents were forced to temporarily abandon their vehicles and equipment,
