HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Huntsville Police announced on Friday that it is conducting multiple investigations into what they are calling 'criminal activity' that they say occurred downtown this past Wednesday night during what was declared an unlawful assembly.
The events happened after the scheduled Rally Against Police Brutality held in Big Spring Park.
According to HPD, the North Alabama Multi-Agency Crime Center (NAMACC) and Criminal Investigations Center (CID) have been reviewing evidence and other material for these investigations.
On Friday, they announced the arrest of 52-yr-old Patrick Joseph McCool for disorderly conduct. In their announcement, they said, "This criminal charge is for acts that evening that involved picking up and throwing one of the chemical agent containers at police. During the course of deploying the chemical agent as trained, the offender ran towards the canister to intercept and throw it back. HPD personnel are trained to deploy the chemical agent in a safe and controlled manner so as not to injure or cause any further physical contact beyond the scope of it’s design."
They also say that at the time, the chemical agent was activated and being used to assist in dispersing an unlawful assembly that had already displayed evidence of civil disobedience as well as dangers to public safety, and that this civil disobedience prior to the deployment included threats at police, throwing of objects, refusal to vacate a roadway for traffic flow, refusal to disperse under a lawful order, as well as other intelligence gathered throughout the course of the unlawful assembly.
They concluded by stating that HPD will always support the citizens right to peacefully protest, but will hold those accountable that violate any other citizen’s constitutional rights.
In a Thursday news conference, Huntsville Police Chief Mark McMurray and Madison County Sheriff Kevin Turner said that they tried for more than 90 minutes to disperse the crowd.
