White Couple Who Pointed Guns at Protesters Indicted on Weapons and Evidence-Tampering Charges

Mark and Patricia McCloskey — the St. Louis couple who were seen on video pointing guns at Black Lives Matters protesters outside their St. Louis home in a gated community in June — have been indicted by a grand jury.

According to documents obtained by Insider on Tuesday, the personal-injury lawyers have been slapped with weapons and evidence-tampering charges.

The two were previously charged in June with unlawful use of a weapon, a class E felony.

Back in June, the pair were seen standing barefoot outside their property pointing weapons at demonstrators marching toward the home of Mayor Lyda Krewson. Krewson, who later issued an apology for her actions, received immense scrutiny for releasing the names and addresses of citizens demanding police reform in a Facebook Live video.

While Patricia was seen with a small handgun, Mark was seen with what appeared to be a semiautomatic rifle with an extended magazine.

According to a police report obtained by BuzzFeed News at the time, the husband and wife contacted police “when they heard a loud commotion coming from the street” and “observed a large group of subjects forcefully break an iron gate marked with 'No Trespassing' and 'Private Street' signs.”

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said the couple claimed protesters were “yelling obscenities and threats of harm to both victims” and that they brought out their guns when they “observed multiple subjects who were armed.”

Despite their claim that multiple protesters were “armed,” it is unclear if any demonstrators threatened the two with weapons. It is also unclear if anyone stepped beyond the sidewalk and trespassed onto their property.

After the incident, the McCloskeys released a statement through their attorney, claiming they were “expecting and supportive of the message of the [peaceful] protesters.” However, they became fearful of “the actions of violence, destruction of property, and acts of threatening aggression” by “agitators” they say were white.

The couple also voiced support to the Black Lives Matter movement, and claimed their actions were “not race-related.”

The next month, Mark McCloskey spoke to CNN's Chris Cuomo, reiterating his position that he was "in imminent fear [that the alleged aggressive protesters] would run me over, kill me."

"I was a person scared for my life, protecting my wife, my home, my hearth, my livelihood. I was a victim of a mob that came through the gate," McCloskey told Cuomo, adding that it is "ridiculous" to insinuate that he and his wife are against the BLM movement.