PUEBLO, Colo. (KOAA) — Court records show Laura Hall, a 54-year-old Pueblo woman, has been charged with felony menacing after Pueblo Police arrested her at a 'No Kings' rally on Saturday.
Several videos taken by witnesses in downtown Pueblo show Hall engaging in heated discussions with protesters before she is seen reaching toward her gun in a holster. The videos then show security guards in bright yellow vests tackling Hall to the ground. Brandon Martin was one of those volunteer security guards who said his instincts kicked in as he saw the woman reach toward the firearm.
"The security man in front started yelling, 'Don't grab your gun. Don't touch your gun.' I was standing behind her, and all I said was, 'Man, please, don't do this. This is not going to go the way you think it is,'" said Martin.
Court documents said after Hall was arrested, she told police she was having a discussion about "Native Americans and stolen land" when she was pushed by other protesters. Arrest records said Hall told police she never grabbed or pulled her gun out, but later stated she may have reached down toward the gun to move the holster.
In the court documents, police said the woman had a pistol with 10 bullets. Officers said the gun was not loaded.
Chris Sutton was protesting at the rally in Pueblo when he saw the commotion unfold.
"I am very grateful that the individuals around her were not armed, and they were able to de-escalate and neutralize it without a shootout because it was such a crowded area," he said.
During a court hearing on Monday, a judge advised Hall she was being charged with felony menacing with a deadly weapon and a misdemeanor charge for disrupting a lawful assembly. Hall moved for the charges to be dismissed, but the judge advised her that it could not be done in this proceeding.
During the hearing, Hall told the judge she was supposed to start work as a nurse on Monday and is worried she now won't have a job. She told the judge she was not a flight risk. She also said she grew up in Pueblo.
Jail records show Hall is no longer in the Pueblo County Jail. She was being held on a $10,000 bond.
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