LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The US Attorney is one of the top federal prosecutors in the State of Nevada. His office is handling some cases related to Black Lives Matter protests.
US Attorney for the District of Nevada Nicholas Trutanich’s office announced two major arrests this week, including:
- Three men accused of setting a Metro Police vehicle on fire
- Three other men accused of plotting to use Molotov cocktails at a Black Lives Matter protest Saturday night. FBI SWAT picked them up before they went into action.
“Violent instigators have hijacked peaceful protests throughout the country,” Trutanich told the I-Team.
We had an exclusive interview with Trutanich this week.
Vanessa Murphy: “As the US Attorney, you have a lot of power. What do you want to say about the movement behind these protests and their cause?”
US Attorney Nicholas Trutanich: “There are certainly real and legitimate concerns about what happened to Mr. Floyd and his death. and those protesters throughout the country and here in Nevada are demonstrating and voicing their concern through their right under the First Amendment.”
Three out of four federal buildings in Nevada have been vandalized within the past week. Trutanich said investigators are actively working on trying to find out who these individuals are.
“We are going to do our level best to send the message that free expression is to be embraced, meaning lawful free expression is to be embraced, and that any attemt to interfere with that will be dealt with swiftly by the federal justice system.”
The US Attorney’s Office can also prosecute corrupt police officers.
As the I-Team reported, only one person was charged after an investigation into alleged corruption in Metro’s Vice Unit, which handles sex trafficking and prostitution. The defendant wasn’t a member of law enforcement.