A man charged over a July 26 mob attack in Cincinnati now faces up to 15 years in prison after being hit by the feds with a gun charge.
The Justice Department announced Wednesday that 34-year-old Montanez Merriweather had been indicted for illegally possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. Merriweather had previously been arrested over the beating of a man and a woman that was caught in a viral video.
“There is no place for violence in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Dominick Gerace II. “Those who commit violent acts can expect to be scrutinized and they will be held accountable for violations of federal criminal law.”
Merriweather faces local assault, felonious assault, and aggravated riot charges. He faces almost 30 years in prison on those charges.
“Violence, in any form and under any circumstance, has no place in a civilized society. When warranted, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, in close coordination with our law enforcement partners, will employ the full extent of our legal authority and resources to identify, apprehend, and remove violent offenders from our communities,” said ATF special agent Thomas Greco.
Video of the attack shows a white man being thrown to the ground and kicked and punched by a group of black people outside of a music festival. After the beaten man got up, a white woman was punched in the face and appeared to be knocked unconscious. The video quickly circulated online, prompting condemnations from state and national leaders.
In response, the FBI launched an investigation into the incident at Attorney General Pam Bondi’s direction. That came after Vice President JD Vance condemned the attack and urged the perpetrators to be thrown in prison.
“What I saw, and I haven’t seen the full context, but what I saw is a mob of lawless thugs beating up on an innocent person, and it’s disgusting,” Vance said. “And I hope every single one of those people who engaged in violence is prosecuted to the full extent of the law. And they will be. They will be so long as law enforcement in the state of Ohio takes their job seriously.”
Some local Cincinnati officials have accused the victims of instigating the beating. For example, City Council President Pro Tem Victoria Parks wrote a Facebook comment saying the victims “begged for that beat down! I am grateful for the whole story.”
