Published: 1/5/2021 2:55:37 PM
NEW YORK — A self-described American nationalist suspected of leaving a hoax explosive device in a car at a New York City mall is facing criminal charges after turning himself in to police, authorities said Tuesday.
Louis Shenker, 22, will be charged with placing a false bomb, criminal possession of stolen property and abandonment of a disabled animal in connection with the episode Monday at the Queens Place Mall in Elmhurst, said detective Denise Moroney, a police spokesperson.
The mall was evacuated around 7:30 a.m. Monday after a device that was made to look like an explosive was found in a black Tesla parked on a ramp in a parking garage. A dog — a husky — was also found in the vehicle, which had a Nevada license plate and had been reported stolen in that state.
Shenker surrendered to officers around 3 a.m. Tuesday in Brooklyn. The Queens district attorney’s office said that it was preparing paperwork on Shenker’s charges and that he was expected to be arraigned later Tuesday.
Shenker was expelled from the University of Massachusetts Amherst amid a controversy over his views. His lawyers alleged he was a victim of anti-white and anti-Jewish attacks and that faculty members conspired to file false hate crimes charges against him because his views did not align with theirs.
A message seeking comment was left with the university’s media relations office.
Shenker, who has described himself on social media as a “patriot” and a supporter of President Donald Trump, was previously arrested Dec. 30 for allegedly torching a poster attached to a police barricade in Manhattan. He was arraigned Jan. 1 and released without bail.
A message seeking comment was left for Shenker’s lawyer in that case.
Shenker has appeared on the online conspiracy show InfoWars and has filled his social media accounts with far-right views and buzzwords like “#MAGA” and “#StopTheSteal,” noting his support of Trump’s false claim that the 2020 presidential election was rigged.
On Dec. 22, Amherst Police assisted New York City detectives in trying to locate Shenker at the Chabad House on North Hadley Road. At that time, detectives were investigating threats made against New York City officials earlier in December.
On a since-suspended Instagram account, Shenker mocked the practice of people including their preferred pronouns by listing his as “American / Patriot,” and has posted online attacks on Black Lives Matter, pushed conspiracy theories and railed against wearing masks and lockdowns to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
Last month, a protest group accused Shenker of disrupting a Black Lives Matter vigil near Mayor Bill de Blasio’s residence and turning it into a pro-Trump, anti-de Blasio “Chanukah Rave.” A video posted to social media showed a man purported to be Shenker threatening to send the Proud Boys and Infowars host Alex Jones after a woman attending the vigil.
Police said the Tesla in Monday’s incident was found parked halfway up the garage’s circular ramp, positioned in the center of the roadway in a manner that prevented other vehicles from passing. Police said the husky appeared to be OK.
Staff writer Scott Merzbach contributed to this report.