Everyone knows about the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020. The city suffered unrest after his death. Later that same year, the Minneapolis police were in pursuit of a man suspected of killing someone. They ended up at a mall. When the suspected murderer neared the entrance to the mall, he committed suicide. Posts on social media falsely reported the police shot the man at the mall.
Given what the city had just been through with George Floyd’s death, the false reports ignited outrage and protests against the police. Although they wouldn’t normally release such a graphic video, the police release the video of the suicide to dispel the false rumors. Clearing a false rumor is much harder than spreading one.
After the police released the suicide video, rioting in the mall area continued. Storefront windows were smashed, looting took place, and they set stores on fire. Of course, we all know, rioters often destroy businesses when there is rioting—the stores become the innocent victims.
The authorities charged many people with crimes associated with the rioting. This true crime case summary focuses on two men, one who bragged about his part in looting stores and setting fires. Security cameras also recorded their actions.
After pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit arson, a judge sentenced the 24-year-old man to almost three years in prison, followed by two years of supervised release.
The man who bragged about his role in the crimes also took ‘orders’ from friends for specific items to steal for them while he was looting stores. After also pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit arson, a judge sentenced him to over eight years in prison, followed by two years of supervised release.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, The New York Post, Bring Me The News