Attack at Boulder's Pearl Street Mall injures five people

CBS News Live

CBS News Colorado Live

A fishy is successful custody aft an onslaught Sunday connected Pearl Street Mall successful Boulder, Colorado. At slightest 5 radical were injured and witnesses said the fishy threw Molotov cocktails that burned immoderate oregon each of the victims, who were portion of a march for Israeli hostages.

The FBI called it a targeted violent onslaught but Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said astatine a quality league a small implicit 2 hours aft the onslaught that it was excessively aboriginal successful the probe to marque that determination.  

A quality league with Boulder constabulary and the FBI is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. section time.

Police did not instantly place the antheral taken into custody.

As a effect of the attack, which happened astatine 1:26 p.m. section time, 3 blocks of Pearl Street person been evacuated and remained closed to the nationalist arsenic of 6 p.m. Investigators said determination is simply a conveyance of involvement successful that zone, but it's not wide whether it belongs to the suspect.

The radical who were injured were extracurricular the historical Boulder County Courthouse astatine 13th Street and Pearl Street. A pain scar could beryllium seen successful the abstraction successful beforehand of the building. Witnesses said they saw radical writhing connected the crushed and radical moving with h2o to effort to assistance instantly afterward. UCHealth confirmed that 2 victims were flown by chopper to its pain unit.

A locomotion to retrieve the Israeli hostages who stay successful Gaza was taking spot successful Boulder's downtown. Two sources said witnesses told investigators the fishy allegedly yelled "End Zionist!," during the attack.

Attack connected Pearl Street Mall successful Boulder 6 photos

FBI Director Kash Patel and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino described the incidental arsenic a violent onslaught and said astir 3:30 p.m. that FBI agents are astatine the scene. Boulder constabulary said the onslaught is nether probe and are moving to find if that is the case, and that it's excessively aboriginal to speculate connected the attacker's motive.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said connected societal media, "The @ODNIgov's National Counterterrorism Center is moving with the FBI and section instrumentality enforcement connected the crushed investigating the targeted panic onslaught against a play gathering of Jewish assemblage members who had conscionable gathered successful Boulder, CO to rise consciousness of the hostages kidnapped during Hamas' onslaught connected Israel connected Oct. 7. Thank you to archetypal responders and section authorities for your speedy effect and action."

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis posted connected X, "I americium intimately monitoring the concern successful Boulder, and my thoughts spell retired to the radical who person been injured and impacted by this heinous enactment of terror. Hate-filled acts of immoderate benignant are unacceptable. While details emerge, the authorities works with section and national instrumentality enforcement to enactment this investigation. More accusation volition beryllium provided arsenic it becomes available."

Run For Their Lives, which organized the walk, said, "This is not a protest; it is simply a peaceful locomotion to amusement solidarity with the hostages and their families, and a plea for their release." The radical met astatine 1 p.m. astatine Pearl Street and 8th Street to locomotion the magnitude of the Pearl Street Mall and backmost with a halt astatine the courthouse for a video.

Av Kornfeld and Ed Victor CBS

Ed Victor, who was participating successful the walk, said they've been holding these soundless marches each week since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, panic onslaught to rise consciousness for the hostages inactive successful Gaza. They halt astatine the courthouse to sing songs, archer stories and work the names of the hostages each week. He said astir 30 radical were participating successful Sunday's walk.

Victor said that the marchers occasionally brushwood hecklers, but they effort not to respond and proceed peacefully down Pearl Street. People besides often nod, clap oregon convey them arsenic they locomotion by, helium added. He said that helium ne'er expected that idiosyncratic would onslaught them.

"So we stood up, lined up successful beforehand of the aged Boulder courthouse, and I was really connected the acold westbound side. And determination was idiosyncratic determination that I didn't adjacent notice, though helium was making a batch of noise, but I'm conscionable focused connected my occupation of being quiescent and getting lined up. And, from my constituent of view, each of a sudden, I felt the heat. It was a Molotov cocktail equivalent, a state weaponry successful a solid jar, thrown. Av [another marcher] saw it, a large occurrence arsenic precocious arsenic a tree, and each I saw was idiosyncratic connected fire," said Victor.

Victor said they tried to enactment the occurrence out. As different marcher with aesculapian acquisition stepped successful to instrumentality attraction of her, Victor stayed with her hubby to comfortableness him. He said volunteers besides rushed successful to help, bringing water.

A associated connection from Boulder's Jewish assemblage said:

We are saddened and heartbroken to larn that an incendiary instrumentality was thrown astatine walkers astatine the Run for Their Lives locomotion connected Pearl Street arsenic they were raising consciousness for the hostages inactive held successful Gaza.

We don't person each the details of what is unfolding, and we committedness to support our assemblage informed.

Our hearts spell retired to those who witnessed this horrible attack, and prayers for a speedy betterment to those who were injured.

We are successful interaction with instrumentality enforcement astir our Boulder Jewish community, and information is our highest priority. We are moving intimately with SCN, Boulder PD, and the FBI. We are grateful for the archetypal responders who are caring for our injured.

We volition proceed to enactment unneurotic to stock accusation and supply enactment for our community. When events similar this participate our ain community, we are shaken. Our anticipation is that we travel unneurotic for 1 another.

Strength to you all.

Attorney General Phil Weiser denounced the onslaught and offered to assistance the victims successful a merchandise Sunday afternoon.

My thoughts are with those injured and impacted by today's onslaught against a radical that meets play connected Boulder's Pearl Street Mall to telephone for the merchandise of the hostages successful Gaza.

From what we know, this onslaught appears to beryllium a hatred transgression fixed the radical that was targeted. I person been successful interaction with Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty and person offered enactment from the Attorney General's Office.

People whitethorn person differing views astir satellite events and the Israeli-Hamas conflict, but unit is ne'er the reply to settling differences. Hate has nary spot successful Colorado. We each person the close to peaceably assemble and the state to talk our views. But these convulsive acts—which are becoming much frequent, brazen, and person to home—must halt and those who perpetrate these horrific acts indispensable beryllium afloat held to account.