A man caught on tape pointing a bow and arrow at Salt Lake City protesters back in May has pleaded guilty to two charges. (Photo: Sean Moody, KSL)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — A man caught on tape pointing a bow and arrow at Salt Lake City protesters back in May has pleaded guilty to two charges.
58-year-old Brandon McCormick admitted on Monday to possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person and aggravated assault.
Both of the charges are third-degree felonies that carry a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison. McCormick is expected to be sentenced on November 2.
One of the bystanders at the protest, who also witnessed the episode, testified at McCormick’s preliminary hearing. According to the witness, McCormick was told to leave because he was “aggravating the situation.” The witness says not only did McCormick not leave, but instead he started yelling racial slurs and threatening to fire arrows at those nearby.
The incident happened on May 30, as hundreds of people gathered near Salt Lake City Hall and the downtown library to protest the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. At one point, McCormick parked his car in front of the library, which was on a corner where many demonstrators had gathered.
McCormick was not arrested that day, although prosecutors later charged him with four crimes. As part of a plea deal, two charges were dismissed: a second count of possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person and a misdemeanor charge of using a dangerous weapon in a fight.
According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, McCormick has been sentenced to prison seven times. The first was in 1989 for first-degree burglary in San Bernardino County. For that crime, he was sentenced to six years and was later paroled in April 1992, although he returned to prison twice that year for parole violations.
He most recently was in prison in 2014. In total, he has spent 18 1/2 years in prisons.