Following a brazen theft from an FBI vehicle in the midst of civil unrest, Raul Gutierrez, a 33-year-old Minneapolis man alleged to be affiliated with the Latin Kings gang, has been slapped with federal charges. Gutierrez, a prior convicted felon, faces accusations of being a felon in possession of a firearm and stealing government property, as announced by United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen, detailed in a press release from the Department of Justice.
In the wake of violent demonstrations, United States Attorney Rosen made a pointed comment about local leadership. "Despite the incitement of violence against federal law enforcement by local officials, which resulted here in the theft of a firearm from an FBI vehicle and the destruction of government property, this United States Attorney’s Office and Department of Justice will always put the public safety of Americans first," he stated, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota. Rosen did not mince words in criticizing what he sees as "weak-on-crime" policies advocated by the Mayor and Governor. Rosen's commentary suggests a direct correlation between such policies and the type of criminal behavior exhibited by Gutierrez.
Asserting that the boundaries between peaceful protest and criminal actions were clear, Jarrad Smith, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Minneapolis, said, "There is a clear, bright line between peaceful protest and lawless destruction." He emphasized the FBI's stance on upholding public safety and the right to protest within the bounds of legality. "Stealing, damaging, and destroying federal property endangers the community and jeopardizes the safe and peaceful exercise of First Amendment rights," Smith told the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota.
On January 14, amidst significant civil unrest following a DHS arrest operation, Gutierrez was captured on video stealing an FBI vehicle's inventory, including a Colt M16A1 rifle and accessories. Gutierrez, already known to the DEA as a violent individual with a history of drug trafficking, was identified in multiple social media posts with a distinguishable facial tattoo while absconding with the stolen items. "In support of this investigation, DEA identified him as the individual seen breaking into an FBI vehicle," Special Agent in Charge Dustin Gillespie of the DEA Omaha Field Division shared with the Department of Justice.
An indictment is looming as the case continues to be developed by the FBI, DHS, ATF, DEA, and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Violent Offender Task Force. The public has been reminded by official sources that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt, with Gutierrez presumed innocent until proven otherwise. Assistant U.S. Attorney Campbell Warner is set to prosecute the case, which joins the broader national initiative Operation Take Back America, targeting illegal immigration, criminal cartels, and the preservation of community safety.
