A New York woman is facing attempted murder charges after she hurled a Molotov cocktail into an occupied New York Police Department van during the civil unrest Friday night in Brooklyn, the police said Saturday.
Samantha Shader, 27, of Catskill, New York, torched the van throwing the Molotov Cocktail through its rear window, police said. The van was stationed at the corner of Eastern Parkway and Washington Avenue in Brooklyn around 10:40 p.m., according to the police.
The officers were able to quickly exit the vehicle before it became engulfed in flames, police said.
As the police arrested Ms. Shader, she bit one of the officers in the leg, according to the police.
Her sister, 21-year-old Darian Shader, tried to interfere with the arrest and was also taken into custody, the police said.
Samantha Shader faces four counts of attempted murder of a police officer, attempted arson, assault on an officer, criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment. Her younger sister is charged with resisting arrest and obstruction of governmental administration.
Catskill is a two-hour drive from the Prospect Park, Brooklyn neighborhood where the Shaders were arrested.
Thousands of people protested in the streets of Brooklyn on Friday to protest the killing of George Floyd, while in police custody in Minneapolis.
More than 200 people were arrested and dozens of officers were injured during the unrest, New York Police Department Commissioner Dermot Shea said in a press conference Saturday.
