Four men have been charged with destruction of federal property for allegedly trying to topple the statue of Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Square, the Department of Justice announced Saturday.
The men were identified as Lee Michael Cantrell of Virginia, 47; Connor Matthew Judd of D.C., 20; Ryan Lane of Maryland, 37; and Graham Lloyd of Maine, 37. The DOJ says other “unidentified individuals” were also involved.
According to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office announcing the charges, the four men were caught on video trying to topple the statue.
Acting U.S. Attorney for D.C. Michael R. Sherwin said his office would not “stand idly by and allow our national monuments to be vandalized and destroyed.” He said while people have a First Amendment right to protest, the charges should “serve as a warning” that “violent behavior and criminal conduct will not be tolerated.”
On Monday night, a group of people scaled the Jackson statue and attempted to pull it down before police cleared Lafayette Square using pepper spray and batons. Earlier that day, police had used pepper spray while trying to clear a collection of tents erected along H Street.
This came days after protesters tore down and burned a statue of Confederate Gen. Albert Pike in Judiciary Square — and as people around the country have targeted statues of figures they say represent the country’s long history of racism, whether by force or by legal efforts.
President Donald Trump has expressed his anger at the destruction of statues. He called for the arrest of protesters who tried to topple the Jackson statue, and he tweeted out the individual wanted photos of 15 people authorities suspect were involved.
As of Saturday, Judd was the only one who had been arrested. He was arrested Friday and appeared in D.C. Superior Court the following day, according to the statement. The matter will be transferred to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, where Judd will make his initial appearance on Monday.
The U.S. Park Police and the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Violent Crime Task Force conducted the investigation. The Metropolitan Police Department provided “significant assistance,” according to the statement.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany announced the charges on Twitter Saturday night, writing that the president was “prosecuting individuals tearing down our statues to the fullest extent of the law!”