The arrests of two armed men during George Floyd protests in Chattanooga – one white, one black – have raised questions from activists and community members over the disparity in bond amounts and charges.
Trevan Young, 29, and Kevin Leko, 35, were both arrested after police found them with guns at or near ongoing demonstrations about the May death of Floyd, a black man who died under the knee of a white police officer in Minneapolis.
Young, a black man, was arrested Monday after police said they received a credible tip that there was an armed individual with possible intent to do harm to people attending the local protest. Police said they found a disassembled AR-15 concealed in Young’s backpack with multiple AR-15 magazines, two of which were loaded and easily accessible to him.
With Leko, a white man, police got a call on Wednesday about a man standing atop a building along the protest route in the 1400 block of Market Street with what appeared to be an assault rifle. In his bag, police said, they found an AK-47 rifle, two 9mm handguns and a revolver, all of which were loaded. They also reported finding a broken-down PA-224 and various loaded magazines for each weapon with the exception of the revolver.
Leko also had six beers in his bag and appeared to be very intoxicated, based on his speech, movement and the smell of beer on his breath, police said.