FBI still searching for 2020 rioter who demolished ICE facility
Authorities are searching for Ronald Watson,a transgender-identifying man accused of bombing an immigration facility in Atlanta during the 2020 Black Lives matter riots. Watson, who participated in demolishing the building’s interior with others, was not linked to the incident by the FBI until his 2023 conviction related to a separate case in Oregon. Court records show he petitioned to change his name to emily smith and applied for a passport under different aliases. The FBI has offered up to $10,000 for information leading to his arrest,noting he may have altered his appearance and dress. Watson’s background indicates a history of radical activism and anti-government actions, including social media posts threatening ICE agents and advocating civil disobedience. He was previously convicted in Oregon for theft and assault related to the 2020 riot, and DNA evidence linked him to the Georgia ICE facility vandalism, prompting federal charges and an arrest warrant. The investigation reveals a pattern of anti-government and radical behaviour spanning across states over several years.
Authorities are searching for a transgender-identifying man accused of bombing an immigration facility during Black Lives Matter riots six summers ago.
Ronald Watson allegedly joined a mob of black-clothed radicals in 2020 who demolished the building’s interior in Atlanta, Georgia, but the FBI did not tie him to the incident until his 2023 conviction in a local Oregon case, court records show. Watson petitioned Oregon in January 2024 to change his name to Emily Smith and applied for a passport under two other names while providing an unspecified address, according to the Department of Justice.
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The FBI is offering up to $10,000 for helpful information on Watson, born in Alabama, and lists his numerous alleged aliases in a public notice. “He may have changed his appearance and may be dressing in women’s clothing,” the bureau said. The suspect’s case records tell the tale of a radicalized young man sowing anti-government chaos on opposite coasts of the country and evading justice from three presidential administrations.
Watson and a group of masked rioters scaled a fence during the 2020 nighttime riot and used “rocks, cinder blocks, modified fireworks, Molotov Cocktails, and other materials” at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement site, causing more than $78,000 in damage, a DOJ filing says. Near broken windows, FBI investigators found blood in several areas inside the building that matched one unknown individual.
Oregon prosecutors charged Watson in December 2022 with several crimes, according to local records that do not describe the arrest. He pleaded guilty the following month to theft, assaulting a public safety officer, and using “ESG/Tear Gas/Mace,” receiving a 30-day jail sentence and three years of probation, the records show.
The Oregon State Police then matched Watson’s DNA from the blood at the 2020 Georgia riot, which revived the FBI’s investigation. The DOJ won a grand jury indictment charging Watson with damaging government property by fire and explosive and issued an arrest warrant in July 2025.
The Trump administration previously saw success in catching and convicting a violent leftist suspect. Antifa leader Benjamin Song shot a police officer during a July 2025 anti-ICE riot in Texas, fled from authorities for 11 days, and was arrested by a SWAT team at a co-defendant’s Dallas apartment. Jurors convicted Song of attempted murder and other federal offenses in March, leading to a 100-year sentence.
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Authorities found anti-ICE social media content linked to Watson, including posts purporting to identify ICE agents in Georgia and suggesting agents should be beaten with bats, court documents allege.
“I’ve marched, thrown bricks, done other things not to be mentioned, raised awareness, promoted civil disobedience tactics, Doxxed people, signed petitions, contacted my senator and representative, don’t tell me that I’m not taking action,” Watson allegedly wrote in a post.
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