9-17-2021
Far-right 'boogaloo' activist gets 50 years in jail after he live-streamed his threats to murder cops.
On Friday, the Texarkana Gazette reported that Aaron Swenson, a far-right "Boogaloo" activist, has been sentenced to 50 years in prison after live-streaming his attempt to find police officers to assassinate.
"The jury took less than an hour to convict Swenson of attempted capital murder of a peace officer," reported Lynn LaRowe. "Swenson pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of felony evading arrest and terroristic threatening. The jury found Thursday that Swenson violated the Texas Hate Crimes Act when he targeted law enforcement. That means he faces an enhanced punishment range on the terroristic threatening charge."
He was convicted on Thursday.
The Texarkana Gazette went on to note that Swenson "dressed himself in the typical garb of Boogaloo members including a Hawaiian shirt and a green tactical vest and armed himself with three firearms, a katana sword and more than 150 rounds of ammunition the night of April 11, 2020."
The report further states that Swenson wore all this gear during a Facebook Live video of himself "driving west on Interstate 30 from his home in Hooks, Texas, as he narrated his hunt for a police officer to execute."
The "Boogaloo Bois" are right-wing extremists who are hoping to start a new civil war in the United States. Last year, they gained prominence after reporting that showed they tried to embed themselves in the George Floyd protests as a way to go after police officers.