A Florida man is facing federal weapons charges after police say they found a Molotov cocktail in his backpack during a police brutality protest in Jacksonville, the Associated Press reported.
Ivan Jacob Zecher was charged Friday for possessing a firearm as a felon and possessing an unregistered firearm, according to the Associated Press. Zecher was also convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in 2014. (RELATED: Minnesota Man Charged With Stoking Fire At Minneapolis’ Third Police Precinct During Riots)
He is accused of blocking traffic and throwing water bottles, rocks and other items at police officers and passing cars, and he was arrested for unlawful assembly after refusing police orders to disperse, police said according to the Associated Press.
When an officer removed Zecher’s backpack to put handcuffs on him, a red liquid began to leak from the backpack. Police searched the backpack and found a liquor bottle that smelled of gasoline, a lighter and a hatchet. Zecher told officers he was holding the bottle for an associate and knew it contained gasoline, The Florida Times-Union Jacksonville reported.
A protester throws a molotov cocktail during a protest in front of Third Police Precinct on May 28, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by KEREM YUCEL/AFP via Getty Images)
The bottle contained gasoline and polystyrene, components of a Molotov cocktail, which is an incendiary bomb considered a firearm under federal law. Since Zecher is a previously convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm, according to the Associated Press.
“Zecher stated he was a convicted felon and he was aware that he could not possess any weapons, so he had brought the hatchet, which he referred to as a “demolition hammer,” in his backpack for protection,” the affidavit stated according to The Florida Times-Union Jacksonville.
Marcus Barnett, Zecher’s attorney, said he’s representing other protesters who were arrested and is reviewing the case details to make sure Zecher was legally detained and searched by police, according to the Associated Press.
More than 4,400 people have been arrested across 36 cities nationally during riots following the death of George Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck.