An unidentified Colorado State football player was placed at gunpoint by a 65-year-old man who wrongly accused him of being a member of Antifa, the nebulous far-left movement President Donald Trump has with minimal evidence blamed for inciting violence during recent nationwide protests.
Scott Gudmundsen called police on the Colorado State player and the player’s part-time coworker, then told them to get to the ground and pointed a gun at them, according to a report from 9News.com.
Gundmundsen was arrested and charged with two counts of felony menacing and two counts of false imprisonment.
His son, Stanley Gundmundsen, has since apologized for his father’s actions.
“Our sincerest thoughts go out to the two salesmen,” he told 9News. “We apologize to them and their families for the actions of our father and wish them well.”
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Accusations of extremist activity on the right and left have been widespread over the past few weeks as protests against police brutality have in some regions been accompanied by violent sideshows and looting. As tensions ratcheted up, Trump last week blamed Antifa for the clashes and vowed to designate the network, which is considered more shared political idea than centralized organization, a domestic terrorist group. Antifa is short for “anti-fascist.”
The presidential pressure campaign has raised the profile of Antifa and perhaps inspired the president’s base to hunt out possible perpetrators.
Colorado State sent out a letter to its student body Friday night detailing the incident with its football player, writing, “Regardless of what investigators learn or reasons the perpetrator gives, we know this: Our student got up Thursday morning, worked out with his team, then showered, dressed, and went to work. Hours later, he was facing a stranger with a gun and hearing police sirens that had been inexplicably called on him.”