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Daily Caller Reporter Robbed At Gunpoint During Minneapolis Riots

Kyle Hooten/Daily Caller

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Daily Caller contributor Kyle Hooten was robbed at gunpoint Wednesday night in Minneapolis as looting and violence resumed after a homicide suspect committed suicide while evading police.

Hooten said that he was walking away from Nicollet Mall, where rioting had broken out, around 9:30 p.m. when two men approached him and asked why he needed a bulletproof vest. After they continued to follow him and ask about the vest, Hooten turned around and said, “well, people get shot out here.”

The two men were standing in front of him and behind him, and the man in front reportedly said, “White boys don’t need a bulletproof vest, you’re not the ones getting shot.” Both men then grabbed his backpack and his vest, at which time a small crowd gathered, Hooten said.

After his vest was stolen, Hooten attempted to keep the second man from stealing his backpack before the man said, “Hey, give me the gun.” The other man lifted up his shirt to reveal the firearm, at which point the first man took his backpack, according to Hooten.

“Just got robbed at gunpoint in Minneapolis for my bulletproof vest and backpack,” Hooten said on Twitter.

Hooten said that the most surprising part was receiving hundreds of death threats online after posting about the incident.

A video showed windows that had been smashed by looters. Minneapolis police had established a perimeter around many of the looted areas, Hooten reported. (RELATED: More Than 4,400 People Arrested During Riots Across The Country)

The unrest began after a homicide suspect committed suicide. Police said the suspect was wanted for homicide and killed himself on the Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis as police closed in, according to Abby Simons, Public Safety Editor of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Minneapolis experienced several weeks of protests and riots following the May 25 death of George Floyd.