When 27-year-old
Samantha Shader was first arrested for throwing a Molotov cocktail at police, she told detectives that the supplies—including glass bottles—were given to her by a group of Black men and women, according to federal court records.
However, after a few, police arrested a white man who admitted to providing the materials, 29-year-old Timothy Amerman. According to court records and a Facebook page that appears to belong to Amerman, he works as a painter in Saugerties, New York. Amerman faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of civil disorder or civil disorder conspiracy, for which he was charged in a federal complaint.
Shader allegedly threw the explosive at a police vehicle with four New York Police Department officers inside at 11 P.M. last 29 May during the violent unrest following the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, prosecutors have said. The vehicle was damaged but the officers—who were reportedly uninjured—were able to jump out of the van and chase Shader down.
Prosecutors said that Shader, who was clearly caught on camera hurling the bottle toward the police vehicle, has been previously arrested
11 times in 11 states. She was reportedly convicted in three of those incidents. Shader’s court-appointed lawyer, Amanda David, has repeatedly declined to comment on the charges, and she did not immediately respond to a request for comment from
The Daily Beast.
But when officers searched the car Shader and her sister drove to New York City from her home in Catskill, police said they found a note with Amerman's fingerprints that read: "I found a few more glass bottles Than I thought I had, Though still not many. I'm giving you my mask in hopes That helps. Wish I had more. There's also a bag in here for you. BE SAFE Please. Really Good Luck, - Love Tim."
Shader was previously indicted on seven charges related to the incident, and her case is pending. Her sister, Darian, was charged with resisting arrest for allegedly jumping on the back of an officer who was trying to detain Shader.
