Welp, knife comes at you fast! The inmate accused of stabbing Derek Chauvin 22 times planned a “Black Friday” attack to symbolize “Black Lives Matter,” according to federal prosecutors.
Source: Hennepin County Jail / Hennepin County Jail
That certainly gives a new meaning to “reason for the season.” Authorities identified the federal inmate behind the “Shanksgiving” stabbing as John Turscak. He reportedly plotted on the ex-cop convicted of murdering George Floyd for a month.
When the big day finally came, Turscak was allegedly ready for Chauvin with an “improvised knife.” NBC News reports Turscak faces charges of attempted murder, assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
Dude in jail stabbed Derek Chauvin 22 times?? I gotta hear his side of the story
— Bearded Shinobi of the South (@_Homer_Pimpson) December 1, 2023
As BOSSIP previously reported, a fellow prisoner tried to carve Chauvin like a turkey on Nov. 24, the day after Thanksgiving. Unlike George Floyd, who suffocated to death for nine minutes, Chauvin received “life-saving measures” from staff at Federal Correctional Institution, Tucson. He was transferred to a nearby hospital in stable condition.
As soon as news of Chauvin’s stabbing made headlines, speculation spread about it helping him overturn his conviction. The attack came only one week after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his appeal.
Source: CHANDAN KHANNA / Getty
Now that prosecutors have identified the inmate who stabbed Chauvin, there are even more questions than answers.
Find out more about John Turscak and his connections to the FBI and the Mexican Mafia after the jump.
Who Is John Turscak, And What Did He Have To Do With The Mexican Mafia And FBI Before Allegedly Stabbing Derek Chauvin?
Source: Peter Dazeley / Getty
Many who wish nothing but the worst for Derek Chauvin celebrated his previously unknown attacker as a vigilante. Now that we know the man behind the “Shanksgiving” stabbing, some say it’s looking funny in the light. Chauvin’s supporters claim it proved his innocence. Meanwhile, several of the killer cop’s critics wonder how his attacker missed 22 times.
In light of the non-fatal stabbing of Derek Chauvin 22 times by another inmate, I have a pressing question involving the inadequacy of anatomy education in school.
— Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) December 1, 2023
Federal prosecutors claimed that John Turscak planned a “Black Friday” assault for the “Black Hand,” a symbol associated with the Mexican Mafia. According to court documents, he joined the Mexican Mafia in 1990.
Per the Los Angeles Times, he greenlit “assaults of individuals for infractions of Mexican Mafia rules.” He also reportedly collected “taxes” from drug dealers and street gangs in “return for Mexican Mafia protection and permission to engage in narcotics trafficking.”
The inmate accused of stabbing Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who killed George Floyd, said he attacked him on Black Friday because it’s “symbolic with the Black Lives Matter movement and the ‘Black Hand symbol’ associated with the Mexican Mafia criminal organization.” pic.twitter.com/lpPcjyE7Zv
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) December 1, 2023
Turscak took credit for the murder of a man in Folsom Prison in 1990. He claimed to authorize another man’s murder in 1998. In 1997, the FBI recruited him as an informant. The investigation led to indictments of more than 40 alleged Mexican mafia members and associates.
However, working for the feds only got him in more trouble. Federal prosecutors dropped him for admitting to “dealing drugs, extorting money, and authorizing assaults” while on their payroll. He pleaded guilty to racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder for a 30-year sentence. Turscak’s time was almost up. His release date was scheduled for June 3, 2026.
John Turscak “denied wanting to kill D.C. However, Turscak stated that he had been thinking about assaulting D.C. for approximately one month because D.C. is a high-profile inmate.”
Turscak, 52, is charged with four crimes, including attempted murder. Here’s the full filing. pic.twitter.com/gqu9ClLR04
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) December 1, 2023
Turscak waived his Miranda rights in his interview with FBI agents on Nov. 26. Although he reportedly claimed responsibility for planning out the assault and stabbing Chauvin 22 times, Turscak “denied wanting to kill” him. So he did all this for shanks and giggles?
lol They’re claiming that the dude who stabbed Derek Chauvin 22 times is a government plant
Its always gotta be some crazy conspiracy versus “the pig who murdered a man in cold blood got stabbed for being a pig who murdered a man in cold blood”
— Lexi Where This Goes, GOAT Arc (@LexiWhereShesAt) December 1, 2023
Some suspect Turscak knew he’d be safer with a life sentence than as a free man who turned on the feds and the Mexican Mafia. After all, he reportedly admitted to choosing Chauvin for his status. He reportedly spent a month thinking about a date and symbolic motive that would guarantee more major headlines. Then he wasted no time telling FBI agents all about it.
You stab a nigga 22 times, you’re a former FBI agent, and the man lived. Oh you wanted him to live with those scars. That was on purpose. We need to start calling Derek Chauvin “22” 🤣
— vintage + fly mf (@DomGiavonni) December 2, 2023
Either way, Chauvin survived his serious injuries and remains in federal custody for the rest of his two decades behind bars. With these new charges against Turscak, he could face just as much additional time or more for the “Shanksgiving” shenanigans. Maybe that’s what Turscak wanted all along.
