Adam Bettcher/Reuters
- A man involved in burning down a police station during unrest in Minneapolis was sentenced.
- Dylan Shakespeare Robinson was sentenced to four years in prison and two years supervised release.
- Robinson was also ordered to pay $12 million in restitution, according to the Justice Department.
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A 23-year-old man who helped set a police station on fire during civil unrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last May was sentenced to four years in prison.
Dylan Shakespeare Robinson, who pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiracy to commit arson, was also given two years of supervised release and must pay $12 million in restitution, according to the Department of Justice.
Prosecutors said Robinson was among a crowd that gathered in front of the Minneapolis Police Department's Third Precinct on May 28, just days after the death of George Floyd. They said the crowd chanted "Burn it down, burn it down," and Robinson lit an object held by an unidentified co-conspirator "with the intent that it would start a fire or fuel an existing fire."
-philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) May 29, 2020
"On the night of May 28, 2020, Mr. Robinson chose to depart from lawful protest and instead engaged in violence and destruction. The arson at the Minneapolis Police Department's Third Precinct put lives at risk and contributed to widespread lawlessness in Minneapolis," Acting US Attorney Anders Folks said in a press release.
Three of Robinson's co-conspirators also pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit arson, and will be sentenced later, the Justice Department said.
Anti-racism and anti-police brutality protests erupted in Minnesota last May in response to Floyd's death at the hands of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
The protests escalated as people clashed with police, and set businesses ablaze. On April 20, a jury convicted Chauvin of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter. He faces up to 40 years behind bars.