LOUISVILLE, Ky.–During opening arguments on May 24 in the trial of all-black militia leader John Johnson, prosecutor Joseph Ansari said five law enforcement officers feared for their lives when Johnson pointed his AR-15 rifle at them on Sept. 4, 2020, in Louisville.
According to Ansari, the law enforcers—who included members of the Louisville Metro Police Department, the FBI, and Secret Service—were so fearful that they didn’t engage Johnson or arrest him on the spot. Nor did they arrest him when he made a speech shortly after, when he returned to his hotel that night, or when he left town after the weekend’s protest activities….