Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the gun-waving St. Louis couple who threatened protesters outside their home, have been indicted on weapon and evidence-tampering charges
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Haven Orecchio-Egresitz
Oct 7, 2020, 16:35 IST
Armed homeowners Mark T. and Patricia N. McCloskey stand in front their house along Portland Place as they confront protesters marching to St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson's house Sunday, June 28, 2020, in the Central West End of St. Louis.St. Louis Post-Dispatch / Contributor / Getty Images
A grand jury has indicted Mark and Patricia McCloskey, two St. Louis lawyers who pointed their guns at Black Lives Matter protesters in their neighborhood in June.
They have each been charged with exhibiting guns at a protest and evidence-tampering.
The couple was the center of many memes after video footage of the two standing outside their mansion with guns went viral.
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A grand jury has indicted Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the white St. Louis couple who aimed their guns at Black Lives Matter protesters outside their home in June.
The McCloskeys, both personal-injury lawyers, face charges of exhibiting guns at a protest and evidence-tampering, court documents viewed by Insider show.
Both McCloskeys were initially charged with one count of unlawfully exhibiting a weapon, but a grand jury found the new charges to be more appropriate.
The couple rose to internet infamy following the June protest when video showed the couple coming out of their home to confront protesters who were walking by.
Mark McCloskey, barefoot in an open-collar pink golf shirt, was seen carrying what appeared to be a semiautomatic rifle with an extended magazine. His wife held a small handgun.
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St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner announced soon after the video surfaced that her office would investigate whether any laws were broken.
They said that they "support Black Lives Matter" and that it was violence and destruction of property by a small group of white "agitators" that caused them to fear imminent harm and arm themselves.
"The peaceful protesters were not the subject of scorn or disdain by the McCloskeys," the statement said. "To the contrary, they were expecting and supportive of the message of the protesters."
No violence was captured on video that showed the couple's threatening behavior.
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The couple's attorney Joel Schwartz told Insider on Tuesday afternoon that he didn't have confirmation that the indictment was returned and hadn't seen the court documents.
"I don't have independent confirmation. I'm getting secondhand information from a multitude of sources that there has been an indictment. And if that is in fact the case, we will deal with it accordingly and fight the charges just like I've stated in the past," he said. "I see nothing that has changed as far as our defense."
The McCloskeys are due back in court on October 14, according to court documents.
The couple has a history of aggressive behavior toward people in their upscale neighborhood
In 2013, Mark McCloskey destroyed beehives being tended to by kids at a synagogue next door, leaving a note that the "structure constitutes a trespass," the paper reported. The note also threatened to sue the group if the destroyed hives weren't cleaned up.
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The Jewish Central Reform Congregation constructed beehives just outside the McCloskeys' northern wall and planned to harvest the honey as part of a Rosh Hashanah tradition of eating apples and honey to ensure a "sweet new year," the Post-Dispatch reported.
"The children were crying in school," Rabbi Susan Talve told the local paper. "It was part of our curriculum."
That wasn't the couple's first dispute.
In 1992, Patricia McCloskey was impeached from the neighborhood's trustee association when the other members accused her of being homophobic, the paper reported.
She was fighting to enforce a rule that prohibited unmarried couples from moving into Portland Place — the upscale neighborhood where they reside. Mark McCloskey argued that it wasn't about the couple being gay but rather that they didn't want any unmarried couple moving in.
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