ANTIFA Trio Arrested For Austin Target Store Looting, Burglary

AUSTIN, TX — Three people described as member of an anti-government group ANTIFA have been arrested in connection with the looting and burglarizing of a Target store in North Austin, law enforcement officials said on Saturday.

The arrests are part of an ongoing investigation involving the Austin Police Department, the Travis County District Attorney’s Office and the FBI, the Travis County District Attorney's Office said in an emailed advisory. The three suspects were arrested Friday after the Target store at 5621 N. Interstate 35 in Capital Plaza was targeted on May 31 amid large-scale protests against police brutality centered in downtown Austin, the DA's office said.

The district attorney's office described the three as known members of a local anti-government group, which officials described as a self-identified communist/socialist ANTIFA group, according to the advisory. The damage to property and merchandise stolen is valued at over $20,000, officials added.

Related story: Austin-Area Stores Looted As Protests Continue

Lisa Hogan, 27, of Austin, was arrested on charges of Riot and Burglary of a Building — both state jail felonies, according to the DA. She is suspected of sending out live feed video from the scene on Facebook, officilas added, encouraging others to join the group at the Target to loot the store. Hogan’s bonds are set at $25,000 each.

Samuel Miller, 22, of Austin, was arrested on charges of Criminal Mischief and Burglary of a Building. Both also are state jail felonies. Miller is accused of destroying and ripping out the surveillance cameras located outside of the Target store, and his bonds are set at $25,000 each.

Skye Elder, 23, of Austin, was arrested for Burglary of a Building which is a state jail felony. Elder’s bond is set at $25,000.

“While I fully support the rights of freedom of speech and assembly, I cannot tolerate the subversion of peaceful protest by engaging in wanton destruction and theft," DA Margaret Moore said in a prepared statement. "These arrests are important to protecting not only the property owners, but, even more importantly, the peaceful protesters whose message should be heard.”

The Austin Police Department on May 30 was conducting surveillance at the retail site after receiving information local Target stores could be the sites of possible looting and vandalism, Moore explained. At around 5:45 p.m., some 20 to 30 individuals gathered outside the Target on Interstate 35 before ripping off plywood panels that had been previously affixed to doors to block entry, according to the DA. Other group members held up a sheet in an attempt to conceal the activity being conducted at the front of the building, Moore added. Members of the group then shattered the glass on the front door to enter the store, the DA said.

Moore said members of the Austin Police Department Special Response Team arrived shortly after the looters entered the building, and Miller and Hogan were seen walking briskly away from the scene as the police approached. Police located Miller in a vehicle being driven by Elder that had been parked away from the Target store, the DA said.

Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs of the FBI San Antonio field office condemned the violence that took place against a backdrop of peaceful protests: “The violence, threat to life, and destruction of property we have seen in Austin and other parts of the country, jeopardizes the rights and safety of all citizens, including peaceful demonstrators,” he said. “We thank members of the public and encourage them to continue sharing information, photographs, and videos of individuals engaged in violent and unlawful activities. With the cooperation of our community and partnership with law enforcement, we will hold those pursuing their violent agendas accountable."

Added Austin Police Chief Brian Manley: “These acts of vandalism and looting will not be tolerated. We appreciate the partnership with our local and federal partners in apprehending these suspects and bringing them to justice.”

The Target store at 2025 Guadalupe St. was boarded up on Sunday afternoon amid report of looting elsewhere in the city. Photo by Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

Amid reports of Target stores being eyed for looting and protest nationwide, several retail sites were closed to the public at the peak of civil unrest over police abuse. Among those stores was the one near the University of Texas at Austin on 2025 Guadalupe Street that was boarded up as a precaution.