Woman accused of throwing Molotov cocktail at NYPD pleads not guilty
Samantha Shader, a New York woman indicted for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at a police car containing officers during a protest in Brooklyn, pleaded not guilty to the federal charges on Friday.
Shader was indicted in June on seven counts, including use of explosives, arson, using an explosive to commit a felony, arson conspiracy, use of a destructive device, civil disorder and possessing and making a destructive device.
According to a criminal complaint, New York Police Department officers saw Shader throw a Molotov cocktail at their vehicle, jumped out and arrested her. The May 29 incident was caught on video shot by a witness.
Prosecutors said Shader admitted to “possessing the Molotov cocktail and throwing it at the NYPD vehicle.” Prosecutors say Shader “wanted to cause harm to NYPD officers and damage NYPD property,” according to a detention memo.
Prosecutors say Shader said that a Black protester gave her the device, according to court filings, but investigators said they determined Shader got the bottle for the Molotov cocktail from a friend in upstate New York.
Timothy Amerman, a 29-year-old painter from Saugerties, New York, is accused of giving Shader the glass bottle.
When authorities asked Amerman what he thought Shader planned to do with glass bottles he gave her, he said he believed Shader “planned to use them as projectiles to throw at police and counter protestors” and didn’t think Shader would use the glass bottles to create Molotov cocktails, according to a criminal complaint.
Amerman was charged with civil disorder and civil disorder conspiracy. CNN attempted to contact Amerman and his attorneys for comment.
A detention memo states that Shader has been arrested 11 times in 11 states since 2011 for various crimes including “acts of violence and resisting arrest.”
She is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. She made her court appearance remotely, as did the attorneys and judge involved in the case.
Judge Dora L. Irizarry also granted a motion allowing Shader and her attorneys to be able to view grand jury records but said that Shader would not be able to keep the documents in prison.
Because the prison where she’s being held is on lockdown and visits from attorneys are not allowed, only her attorneys will be able to view the documents at this time.
