Man who brandished chainsaw at Black Lives Matter protesters released from jail
The man who brandished a chainsaw at Black Lives Matter protesters in downtown McAllen was released from the Hidalgo County jail on Sunday.
Daniel Peña, 44, of McAllen was released from the Hidalgo County jail at 3:17 a.m. Sunday, according to Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office records.
The McAllen Police Department arrested Peña on Friday, when he brandished a chainsaw at Black Lives Matter protesters in downtown McAllen while shouting racial slurs.
Peña is charged with one count of assault, a Class A misdemeanor, and four counts of deadly conduct, a Class A misdemeanor.
A judge set bond at $5,000 on the assault charge and $3,000 for each count of deadly conduct.
Peña couldn't immediately be reached for comment on Sunday.
Attempts to reach him at a publicly listed telephone number and through a bail bonds company were unsuccessful.
Video of the incident went viral on Twitter and made national news. Mercedes Schlapp, a senior adviser to President Donald J. Trump, apologized for sharing a tweet that praised Peña.
“I deeply apologize and I retweeted without watching the full video. I deleted the tweet,” Schlapp said in her apology, according to Politico. “I would never knowingly promote the use of that word. This is time for healing the nation and not division.”