Judge Declines To Lower Bail For Protest Shooting Suspect
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The man charged with shooting five Black Lives Matter protesters outside a Minneapolis police station last month appeared in court on Tuesday, and the judge declined to lower his bond, saying that he was a risk to the public.
Allen "Lance" Scarsella, of Lakeville, faces five counts of second-degree assault and one count of rioting in connection to the Nov. 23 shooting, which left five men with non-life-threatening injuries.
In court, Scarsella's attorney, Peter Martin, asked the judge to have leniency on his client because Scarsella was an eagle scout, a college graduate and all of his family is from Lakeville.
Prosecutors countered, saying that the victims suffered serious injuries and that even though Scarsella has no criminal record, he's a danger to society because he brought a loaded gun to a protest.
The judge agreed. As such, Scarsella's bail remains at $500,000. His next court appearance is slated for Jan. 6.
Scarsella, 23, had gone several times to the Black Lives Matter demonstration at Minneapolis' 4th Precinct, where protesters camped out for weeks following the fatal police shooting of Jamar Clark. In videos and online postings, he and others can be seen using racist language to talk about the protesters.
According to a criminal complaint, Scarsella admitted to firing on the protesters to multiple people, including a Mankato police officer. Four other men are also charged in connection with the shooting; they each face one count of rioting.
