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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowFederal charges have been filed against a man who authorities say fired an AR-15-style rifle in the direction of Indianapolis police as protests turned violent over the weekend.
Antonio Wooden, 23, of Indianapolis, was charged Wednesday with unlawful possession of a firearm by a fugitive from justice and unlawful possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance, according to a press release from Josh Minkler, US attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.
Police investigators found a video they say shows Wooden raising a rifle, pointing it in the direction of officers in the area of North Pennsylvania Avenue and Market Street, and firing at least one round on Saturday night, according to the statement from Minkler. The man in the video then lowers his rifle and moves farther east toward Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers on Market Street. Before the video ends, more gun shots can be heard.
Wooden was arrested by IMPD on Tuesday near his residence during a traffic stop. A search warrant was also served at Wooden’s residence in the 7300 block of East 19th Street, detectives located Wooden’s American Tactical .223 caliber rifle, a small amount of marijuana, 60 live .223 rounds and two rifle magazines. They also located the goggles and distinct facemask Wooden had on him Saturday night.
Wooden has an active Ohio arrest warrant issued for failure to appear to a drug count in Mason Municipal Court on May 12, 2020. Wooden was convicted last year of battery resulting in bodily injury in Marion Superior Court and is currently on probation in that case.
“Freedom of speech and the right to protest are freedoms that all American have. Illegally possessing a firearm and firing at police are not,” said Minkler. “Mr. Wooden was not peaceably protesting, he was terrorizing and endangering the lives of those that were, including the police officers.”
This case was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Crime Gun Intelligence Center, and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
According to Assistant US Attorney Barry Glickman, who is prosecuting this case for the government, Wooden faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $250,000.
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