Prosecutors in St. Louis won’t pursue trespassing charges against nine Black Lives Matter protesters who walked onto the lawn of a gun-wielding couple in June, according to reports.
Deputy City Counselor Michael Garvin said prosecutors reviewed several videos from the standoff between protesters and Mark and Patricia McCloskey on June 28 and decided not to pursue the case, Fox News reported.
“After consideration of all factors, the city counselor determined that prosecution is not warranted against these particular individuals,” Garvin told the network in a statement. “Having reached that conclusion, all charges were refused.”
The caught-on-video encounter between the McCloskeys and a group of demonstrators outside their mansion on a private St. Louis road drew national headlines — and weapons charges against the couple.
The felony charge of unlawful use of a weapon is pending.
The pair said they felt their lives were in danger.
Mark McCloskey is seen in the footage standing on their front lawn holding an AR-15 rifle while his wife is seen with a semiautomatic handgun.
The video shows the couple exchanging words with protesters, several of whom walk onto the lawn. But the marchers move on without incident.
The encounter made the McCloskeys champions of pro-gun groups and earned them an invitation to make a virtual appearance at the Republican National Convention.
A lawyer for the couple told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the prosecutor’s decision doesn’t change the fact that the protesters trespassed.
“It was clearly trespassing and the McCloskeys were clearly within their rights to do what they did,” attorney Joel Schwartz said.