U.S. Attorney’s Office: Man who vandalized Minneapolis police station charged with illegal possession of a firearm

A 29-year-old Blaine man who vandalized the Minneapolis Police Department’s 5th Precinct in 2020 is charged with illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

According to U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk, Thomas Wilder Moseley was charged with illegal possession of firearms and ammunition on Tuesday. Moseley will make his initial appearance on March 31, 2021, before Magistrate Judge Becky Thorson in U.S. District Court.

According to the allegations in the criminal complaint, on August 15, 2020, a protest took place at the Minneapolis Police Department’s 5th Precinct building in south Minneapolis. The event became violent and destructive when individuals began throwing rocks and other objects, breaking windows, firing mortar-type fireworks at the building and at officers stationed on the roof, spray painting the building and using paint to obscure the video surveillance cameras. After reviewing video surveillance footage, investigators were able to identify Moseley as one of the individuals who was spray painting the front windows of the building. The building sustained several thousand dollars worth of damages as a result of the incident.

The allegations in the complaint also stated, on October 15, 2020, Moseley was present inside the Hennepin County Government Center, where protesters had gathered during a court appearance for the four former Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd. Hennepin County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested Moseley on probable cause based on his involvement in the Aug. 15 incident. At the time of his arrest, Moseley was carrying a loaded handgun. Moseley was subsequently charged in Hennepin County District Court with possessing a dangerous weapon within a courthouse complex, a felony.

According to the complaint, after Moseley’s arrest, the Minneapolis police officers executed a search warrant at Moseley’s residence in Blaine and recovered two firearms, more than 1,400 rounds of ammunition, 96 grams of marijuana and other drug paraphernalia. Officers also obtained a search warrant for Moseley’s vehicle, parked in downtown Minneapolis near the Government Center. Among other things, officers recovered from the vehicle five firearms, a large amount of ammunition, a hatchet, a crowbar, gas masks and controlled substances, including marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms and cocaine.