The Saint Paul Police Department today (Monday, June 8) released surveillance video that confirms that Officer Jacob Pederson was not “Umbrella Man,” the person clad in black, carrying an umbrella who smashed windows at a Minneapolis AutoZone on Monday, May 27.
The Saint Paul Police Department today (Monday, June 8) released surveillance video that confirms that Officer Jacob Pederson was not “Umbrella Man,” the person clad in black, carrying an umbrella who smashed windows at a Minneapolis AutoZone on Monday, May 27.
The department initially debunked the rumor on May 28. It made the decision to release the video after untrue rumors of the officer’s involvement continued to spread on social media.
“We knew right away that our officer was not involved in instigating the unrest in Minneapolis because we knew exactly where he was at the time—and he was in Saint Paul,” said Saint Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell. “Unfortunately, some people continue to spread the lie—either out of genuine concern, a lack of knowledge about the situation, or maliciousness—so we’ve taken the extraordinary step of releasing the video that shows exactly where the officer was.
“This type of disinformation can jeopardize the officer’s reputation and safety and chip away at the trust this police department has worked so hard to build with its community.”
The video, which was posted on the department’s website and social media pages, shows that the officer was at the Richard H. Rowan Public Safety Training Center at 6:32:58 p.m. on May 27, the moment when alarm activity from AutoZone shows the glass breakage occurred.
The Rowan Training Center is located at 600 Lafayette Rd., in Saint Paul, more than nine miles from the AutoZone, which is located at 2610 Lake Street East in Minneapolis.
Here is a timeline of what is shown on surveillance videos from the training center:
- 3:25 p.m. – Officer Pederson drives a silver/gray pickup into the training center parking lot and backs into a parking space
- 3:28 p.m. – He walks into the training center through the front doors
- 3:30 p.m. – He goes out to his truck and pulls away from the parking spot but does not leave the lot
- 3:35 p.m. – He walks back into the building through the front door
- 4 p.m. – He walks out of the building, to the parking lot and retrieves police gear
- 4:01 p.m. – He walks back into the building through the front door.
Officer Pederson remains in the Training Center until 6:38 p.m.
- 6:38 p.m. – Officer Pederson walks out the back door to load equipment into a vehicle.
The AutoZone windows were smashed at 6:32:58, which means there is no way Officer Pederson is “Umbrella Man.”
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