Pre-Emptive Action

2 Texas Men Charged with Molotov Cocktail Possession
Austin, Texas men planned to disrupt RNC, attack Secret Service
Last Edited: Friday, 05 Sep 2008, 2:49 PM CDT
Created: Friday, 05 Sep 2008, 2:49 PM CDT
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MINNEAPOLIS -- Two men from Austin, Texas, allegedly connected to a group involved in planning to disrupt the Republican National Convention were charged Friday in federal court with illegally possessing Molotov cocktails.

David Guy McKay, 22, and Bradley Neil Crowder, 23, were each charged Sept. 5 with one count of possession of firearms for having Molotov cocktails.

According to the criminal complaint, McKay and Crowder knowingly and intentionally possessed Molotov cocktails from Aug. 31 through Sept. 3.

The arrests

McKay was arrested by St. Paul police during the execution of a search warrant on Sept. 3 at a residence on Dayton Street. Crowder was arrested on Sept. 1 for disorderly conduct. The search warrant at the Dayton Street residence specifically requested permission to search for “weapons or devices that may be used as weapons.”

Leader, member of group

According to a FBI affidavit, the FBI in Texas began investigating the group, labeled by law enforcement as the Austin Affinity Group, in February 2007. Crowder is listed as the group’s leader, and McKay has been identified as a group member.

Meeting in Minneapolis to prep for RNC

According to the affidavit, in May 2008, Crowder allegedly attended a meeting in Minneapolis where several people from throughout the United States met to discuss preparations for protesting and disrupting the RNC.

On Aug. 28, members of the Austin Affinity Group traveled from Austin, Texas, to Minnesota. The group brought a rental trailer with them that contained 35 shields, made from stolen traffic barrels. The shields were constructed with protruding screw heads so that they could be used as offensive weapons. St. Paul police seized these shields on Aug. 31.

Wal-Mart: Your Molotov cocktail headquarters

The affidavit states that McKay and Crowder purchased supplies for constructing Molotov cocktails at a St. Paul Wal-Mart on Aug. 31. Authorities found out that the supplies were being stored at a St. Paul apartment, and both men were observed entering and leaving the apartment by law enforcement surveillance officers.

Law enforcement also learned McKay and Crowder had manufactured eight Molotov cocktails and were storing them at the Dayton Street residence.

The affidavit states that on Sept. 1 McKay said he had a “falling out” with others in the group, and that he and some others were going to conduct “red actions” on Sept. 2.

Targeting the Secret Service

During a conversation overheard by law enforcement through electronic surveillance on Sept. 2, McKay, the affidavit states, said that the Molotov cocktails that he and Crowder had manufactured would be thrown at vehicles parked in a parking lot near the Dayton Street apartment. The parking lot was used by law enforcement vehicles, and was visibly patrolled by the U.S. Secret Service and the military.

During the same conversation, while discussing the use of Molotov cocktails, McKay was heard saying that he could leave the scene with a police officer burning or dying, and that “it’s worth it if an officer gets burned or maimed.”

Seizing evidence

During the execution of a search warrant by the St. Paul Police Department at the Dayton Street residence where McKay was arrested, officers seized a variety of items, including gas masks, slingshots, helmets, knee pads and containers of a gasoline and oil mixture.

Under the kitchen sink, officers discovered a two-gallon gasoline container that appeared to be the one purchased by McKay, Crowder and others at the Wal-Mart on Aug. 31. In a common area in the basement of the residence, officers found eight assembled Molotov cocktails.

If convicted, McKay and Crowder each face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.