Outcry follows arrest of 2 men over social media post that urged violence in Wichita area
Wichita police arrested two men over a widely circulated social media post that urged violence and looting in suburban neighborhoods while peaceful protests calling for an end to police brutality were ongoing Wednesday evening.
Announcement of the arrests sparked immediate outcry on social media from people saying at least one of the men only shared the post, reportedly a screenshot from Snapchat, to warn others. Wichita City Council member Brandon Johnson said he was working to free them in a brief Facebook video Thursday.
Michael E. Boston Jr., 20, of Wichita, and Rashawn L. Mayes Jr., 19, of Park City, were arrested on suspicion of incitement of a riot. Each was being held in the Sedgwick County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bond Thursday morning.
They were later released without prejudice, meaning they were let go without having been formally charged or having to post bail. People released in this way may be charged at a later date.
Police, in a news release, said Boston and Mayes “were responsible for the post,” which encouraged people to meet at 21st and Arkansas at 7 p.m. then head to other parts of the city and county to carry out acts of violence. It was shared thousands of times in and around Sedgwick County, “causing fear and panic to citizens and business owners,” the news release said.
Officers found and arrested Boston and Mayes “without incident” on Wednesday evening, the news release said. Booking records show Mayes was arrested at his Park City home. Boston was taken into custody at the City Hall building in Bel Aire.
After two nights of violence and looting, gatherings protesting the death of George Floyd, a black man, at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer remained peaceful in Wichita on Wednesday evening into early Thursday morning. Wichita police have made at least a dozen other arrests connected to the protests and gatherings.
“Those who promote and engage in violence will be arrested,” Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay said in a prepared statement included in the news release.
“They will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, including federal charges.”
The department said it plans to present its case against Boston and Mayes to the federal prosecutors office for formal criminal charges. Officer Charley Davidson, a spokesman for the agency, told The Eagle on Thursday that he did not know when that might happen.
He would not elaborate on what role the men might have played in connection with the post’s creation or dissemination, or say whether anyone else was under investigation.
“The investigation is ongoing,” he said.
Mayes’ mother expressed outrage over the arrests in a Facebook post shared more than a thousand times by Thursday afternoon, writing that her son shared the ominous message to warn other Park City residents to “stay away from Bel Aire and Park City.”
“However, they have somehow turned this shared post around on him as if he was the original creator of this post. Which is false!” she wrote on Facebook. She was not available for an interview Thursday afternoon.
“This 19 year young man just finished his freshman year in college at Langston University and his future is BRIGHT!”
Johnson, in the Facebook video, said he “started getting phone calls” after news of the arrests surfaced.
The men “were arrested for sharing information that we all saw,” he said in the video, adding: “We’ve been able to work towards getting them released. I don’t have a time that they will be released, but they will be released today.”
“We will continue to work through why they were charged and what the real evidence is,” he said.
Wichita police also made two other arrests overnight stemming from protests held at 21st and Arkansas in recent days.
Dimitri Fernandez, 19, of Wichita was arrested during a traffic stop Wednesday evening on suspicion of reckless driving, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, and outstanding warrants. Police say Fernandez was identified as the driver of a white Dodge Ram officers saw traveling recklessly at the intersection Monday evening. Fernandez has previous convictions for burglary and theft, police said.
Dylan Yohe, 23, of Wichita, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, marijuana possession, an aggravated weapons violation and other charges after officers patrolling the area at 12:40 a.m. Thursday saw him driving a Dodge Dakota. Police said the officers knew Yohe’s driver’s license had been revoked and pulled him over at Franklin and Nims. Yohe had an open liquor bottle, a knife, drugs and drug paraphernalia with him, police said. He has prior convictions for carrying a concealed firearm and for traffic offenses, police said.
This story was originally published June 4, 2020 at 11:24 AM.
