DOJ Men’s accusation was arrested with firearms at Nashville ‘no Kings’ Protest

A Tennessee man faced a federal charge after suspected of raising a firearm in the protesters earlier this month, with the prosecutor expressed concern about “his desire to commit acts of mass violence,” according to court documents.

Elijah Millar, 19, from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, was charged on Friday with a firearms that violated the law, the Department of Justice announced. He faced up to 15 years of federal prison and a maximum fine of $ 250,000 if punished.

According to the prosecutor, Millar, wearing all -black clothes and wearing a mask, faced with demonstrators at the “No Kings” protest near the Bicentental Nashville mall on June 14.

Eyewitnesses reported that Millar spitted the protesters, shouted at them, and pointed the SIG Sauer 9MM gun before being captured by the Nashville Metropolitan Police Department officer, DOJ said.

Only three days after being released with a bond, Millar was arrested again when Murfreesboro police department officers found a 9mm firearm published on his belt, said the authorities.

The court document said that Millar was previously subject to the 2023 emergency conservator order at Rutherford County, Tennessee, who forbade him to have firearms after finding him “at risk of great damage to his health, safety, and welfare.”

The next command in September 2024 appointed him as “disabled people who need treatment” and further limit access to firearms.

“The right to protest the government’s actions peacefully is guaranteed by the first amendment and cannot be violated by armed people whose actions put people in danger,” said United States Prosecutor Robert E. McGuire.

On Sunday, the prosecutor urged the court to keep Millar in custody, quoting social media posts and online activities that suggest “the desire to commit acts of mass violence.”

The incident emerged amid the increasing tension in “No Kings” protested nationally. In a separate incident on the same day in Utah, a protest turned deadly when a safety volunteer accidentally fired and killed a demonstrators when responding to other armed individuals who were allegedly approaching the crowd with a rifle.

This case is being investigated by the Nashville FBI Field Office, the Nashville Metropolitan Police Department, and the Murfreesboro Police Department.

ABC News’ Alexander Mallin contributed to this report.