‘Instigator’ with antifa flag still at large as Harrisburg police make protest arrests

Harrisburg police on Friday arrested a man accused of aggravated assault after he allegedly threw a brick at an officer and used a skateboard to break two windows of a police vehicle during a melee that broke out during a protest and march downtown Saturday.

Police also accused Dexter Thompson, 26, of threatening to kill the officer, according to court records. Police arrested Thompson at his home Friday morning, and he recorded it on Facebook Live before being taken into custody.

Police charged him with aggravated assault, terroristic threats and institutional vandalism. He spent Friday afternoon in jail and later was released on $5,000 unsecured bond by Magisterial District Judge Hanif Johnson.

Thompson represents the first person arrested by Harrisburg police for alleged criminal acts that occurred after a relatively peaceful protest and rally the afternoon of May 30.

Capitol police also arrested a man for allegedly throwing a brick at police during the same protest but his name and charges had not been released by Capitol Police.

Harrisburg police are still looking for a woman blamed by city officials for “sparking” the violence at the rally. Police said she used a flagpole she was carrying to crack a police vehicle windshield. She was carrying a flag that Mayor Eric Papenfuse on Friday confirmed was an antifa flag.

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Article URL : https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/06/instigator-with-antifa-flag-still-at-large-as-harrisburg-police-make-protest-arrests.html