What to Know
- Three people were arrested on federal charges after authorities say Molotov cocktails were thrown at NYPD vehicles during this weekend's protests
- Samantha Shader is accused of throwing one of the firebombs and biting an officer during her arrest Friday
- Two attorneys, Colinford Mattis and Urooj Rahman, are charged with chucking another Molotov cocktail at an NYPD vehicle a few hours later
Two lawyers previously released on bail for charges related to a Molotov cocktail attack last weekend are now back in federal custody.
Colinford Mattis, 32, and Urooj Rahman, 31, of Brooklyn, face charges of possession of explosive device components after Rahman allegedly tossed a firebomb at an NYPD vehicle before running away with Mattis.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced late Friday the pair were back in federal custody after the U.S. Court of Appeals reversed the previous bail decision by the District Court.
A judge had ordered the release of Mattis and Rahman on a $250,000 bond to home confinement with electronic monitoring.
The FBI says that in the incident involving Rahman and Mattis, Rahman lit a Molotov cocktail into a previously damaged NYPD vehicle which then set fire to the vehicle. The pair tried to leave the scene, but were caught and arrested by NYPD officers, according to authorities.
Mattis, an associate at Pryor Cashman, has been suspended, his employer confirmed to NBC New York.
The complaint reads, "during the arrest, officers observed in plain view several precursor items to build a Molotov cocktail, including a lighter, a bottle filled with toilet paper and a liquid suspected to be gasoline in the vicinity of the passenger seat and a gasoline tank in the rear of the vehicle."
Also in federal custody is Samantha Shader, 27, of Catskill, New York. She is accused of chucking a Molotov cocktail at an NYPD vehicle that was occupied by four police officers. When she was being cuffed, federal prosecutors say that she bit one of the officer's leg.
News
According to the charging documents, Shader allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at 1:12 a.m. in Brooklyn Saturday morning. The FBI says it shattered two windows of the NYPD vehicle and damaged the vehicle while officers were inside. The complaint alleges that the FBI was able to get video of the incident from a witness.
After Shader's arrest, they say she waived her Miranda rights and admitted to throwing the Molotov cocktail at the NYPD vehicle.
Prosecutors say that Shader "has traveled the country committing various crimes, which include acts of violence and resisting arrest" including a 2019 officer interference conviction in Waterford, Connecticut.
All three suspects have a preliminary hearing scheduled for June 12.
