Missouri Gov. Mike Parson pardoned the St. Louis couple who pointed guns at Black Lives Matter protesters

Armed homeowners Mark T. and Patricia N. McCloskey stand in front their house along Portland Place as they confront protesters marching to St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson's house Sunday, June 28, 2020, in the Central West End of St. Louis.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch / Contributor / Getty Images

• Missouri Gov. Mike Parson pardoned the St. Louis couple who pointed guns at BLM protesters in 2020.
• Mark and Patricia McCloskey pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in June 2021 in connection with the incident.
• The couple was among 12 pardons and two commutations granted by Parson last week.
• See more stories on Insider's business page.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson pardoned the St. Louis couple who pleaded guilty on misdemeanor charges after pointing guns at protesters during the Black Lives Matter movement last summer.

Mark McCloskey, a Republican running for a US Senate seat, pleaded guilty in June 2021 to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault and was fined $750 in connection with the incident. His wife, Patricia McCloskey, also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor harassment and was fined $2,000.

Both agreed to surrender the firearms used in the confrontation in June 2020.

"Mark McCloskey has publicly stated that if he were involved in the same situation, he would have the exact same conduct," the McCloskeys' lawyer Joel Schwartz said Tuesday, citing a report by the Associated Press. "He believes that the pardon vindicates that conduct."

In a statement released by his Senate campaign, McCloskey claimed an "angry mob" of protestors had "crashed through my gate, and threatened my wife, my family, and my home." Authorities denied McCloskey's account of the incident.

"There was no evidence that any of them had a weapon and no one I interviewed realized they had ventured onto a private enclave," special prosecutor Richard Callahan said in a news release after the McCloskeys pleaded guilty.

Despite the charges, McCloskey said on the courthouse steps after the couple's hearing in June that he would "do it again."

"Any time the mob approaches me, I'll do what I can to put them in imminent threat of physical injury because that's what kept them from destroying my house and my family," he said.

In July of last year, Parson pledged to pardon the St. Louis couple during an interview on the "Marc Cox Morning Show" on 97.1 FM.

"A mob does not have the right to charge your property," Parson said of the June 28 incident. "They had every right to protect themselves."

Parson delivered on his promise, as the McCloskeys were among the 12 pardons and two commutations made by Parson last Friday, which were later announced Tuesday.

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