Overview
- A person in a Spider-Man costume jumped onto a pickup tied to far-right activist Jake Lang during a protest on Saturday and struck Lang as confrontations between demonstrators escalated.
- Minneapolis police arrested several people at the scene and later identified the costumed demonstrator as 33-year-old Nicholas William Love II, who faces a misdemeanor charge of fifth-degree assault.
- Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced on Tuesday that her office would not pursue felony charges against Lang after reviewing communications and logistics that undercut a path to proving felony intent.
- Police said vehicles associated with Lang drove onto a sidewalk toward a crowd, chemical irritants believed to be mace were deployed on both sides, and multiple officers were injured with one briefly hospitalized.
- The incident drew intense social media attention from a viral photo and video, spawned online fundraisers for the cosplayer, and revived scrutiny of Lang’s past activism and his support for Shiloh Hendrix.