Police ask permission from judge to take guns from man following "troubling" social media posts
PLYMOUTH, Minn. — Plymouth Police ask a judge for permission to remove firearms from a 31-year-old man after two encounters at Twin Cities religious sites and troubling social media posts, court documents say.
The man was charged with third-degree damage to property — motivated by bias, a gross misdemeanor — after placing "white lives matter" stickers on parking lot pillars outside Congregation Darchei Noam, a Jewish place of worship, court documents show.
This incident occurred on Jan. 6, and police say they spoke to the man at Darchei Noam. According to police, on a follow-up call with the man two days later, he told them "the white man is in danger," and also referred to the situation in Palestine.
According to the criminal complaint, police found hate speech against minorities and videos of him confronting Hindu and Muslim people in the community telling them to "go back to their countries" on his social media.
In his application for an Extreme Risk Protection Order, Plymouth Police Sergeant Shawn Grande referenced another incident from Dec. 23, 2024 at the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Edina, where the same man allegedly confronted people outside the temple and posted it to X. In that video he says, "You guys are invading my country, go back to India," says court documents.
The application also noted additional images from the man's (now removed) X account, including an image of a person giving a "Nazi-style salute" and wearing a "military style fatigue, a vest with pouches, two rifles, a semi-automatic handgun, a revolver and sling of shotgun rounds."
Court documents indicate police have secured one handgun from the man so far.
