| Marin County Civic Center attack (August 1970) | |
|---|---|
| Location | Marin County Civic Center, San Rafael, California, US |
| Coordinates | 37°59′59″N 122°31′48″W / 37.99972°N 122.53000°W |
| Date | August 7, 1970 |
Attack type | Kidnapping, murder, psychological torture |
| Deaths | 4 (including 3 perpetrators) |
| Injured | 3 (including 1 perpetrator) |
| Assailants | Jonathan P. Jackson (killed) James McClain (killed) Ruchell Magee William Arthur Christmas (killed) |
| Motive | Release of the Soledad Brothers |
The Marin County Civic Center attacks were two related attacks in 1970 at the Marin County Civic Center courtroom in San Rafael, California, United States, tied to escalating racial tensions in the state's criminal justice system.
On August 7, 17-year-old Jonathan P. Jackson attempted to coerce the release of the Soledad Brothers (including Jackson's older brother George) by kidnapping Superior Court judge Harold Haley from the Marin County Civic Center. As the kidnappers attempted to leave with five hostages by car, court officers shot at Jackson's retreating van. Four people were killed in the ensuing gunfight, including Jonathan Jackson and Judge Haley, and three others were wounded.
The event received intense media coverage, as did the subsequent manhunt and trial of Angela Davis, an ousted professor from UCLA with connections to George and Jonathan Jackson, and the Black Panthers. Davis owned the weapons used in the incident but stated that she had no knowledge of its happening.
The second attack took place on October 8 of that year, when the Weathermen detonated explosives in support of the earlier incident.
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