MINNEAPOLIS — The FBI is asking for help finding someone who provoked mystery and conspiracy theories for two years after the riots that followed the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
He's referred to as the "Umbrella Man," and some believe his actions helped set off the riots near the Minneapolis Police 3rd precinct building.
A mysterious figure dressed in all-black, captured on bystander video calmly smashing the windows of the AutoZone on Lake Street as the Minneapolis riots began, has since then been blamed for helping sew unrest.
He's dubbed the "Umbrella Man" because he carried a black umbrella on that sunny May day as protesters sometimes do to avoid being recognized and to deflect police chemical irritants.
One conspiracy, fueled by suspicious text messages shared online that the Umbrella Man was an off-duty Saint Paul police officer, gained so much traction that Saint Paul PD released surveillance video to prove that particular officer was at work that night.
Then, in July 2020, a publicly-filed search warrant affidavit written by an MPD arson investigator named a suspect -- a member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle gang -- who was involved in an incident of alleged racist intimidation in Stillwater reported separately by KARE 11.
The MPD investigator wrote that "the actions of this person created an atmosphere of hostility and tension" and that the broken windows led to looting, then fire, and then a string of fires throughout the city.
The suspect's name came through an emailed tip, but that person was never charged.
Now, more than two years after the fires, AutoZone has been rebuilt and the FBI is providing new photos asking for the public's help identifying the Umbrella Man.
Specifically a photo of his shirt with a distinct logo on the front and his baseball cap with a green shamrock and the letters L - M - Co., which stands for Loser Machine Company, a skater apparel brand.
The FBI is hoping someone who recognizes the hat or shirt can help put a name - and charges - to the Umbrella Man once and for all.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities in our YouTube playlist: