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AGPD: No charges against The Pit for having armed men on roof during protest

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Posted at 5:17 PM, Sep 08, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-09 01:21:18-04

The Arroyo Grande Police Department says it will not file charges related to an incident involving armed men at The Pit martial arts gym on June 5.

A Black Lives Matter protest was held in Arroyo Grande on that day, and The Pit owner, John Hackleman, said he decided to put armed men on the roof to protect the business.

"What I heard from a lot of people was that it was going to be a friendly protest disguised with a lot of people that are going to be bused in from out of town, like L.A., Fresno, Valley area. I heard there was a very good chance it was going to be violent," Hackleman told KSBY News in June.

Some people in the community accused Hackleman and the owners of Grand Barbers, which also had armed men on the roof during the protest, of trying to intimidate protesters.

In a statement released Tuesday, AGPD said, "After careful review of the evidence presented, The Arroyo Grande Police Department finds there is insufficient evidence to support filing criminal charges against the involved parties."

The Monterey County District Attorney's Office reportedly assisted AGPD with the investigation.

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