Second Suspect Charged For Burning Providence Cruiser During Protests
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (CBS) - A second Rhode Island man has been charged for his alleged involvement in the burning and destruction of a Providence police cruiser. The vehicle was set on fire during a June 2 protest in downtown Providence.
Nicholas L. Scaglione, 30 of Cranston, was arrested Tuesday on charges of attempted malicious destruction of a vehicle by fire. He was released by the court on an unsecured bond.
On Friday, 34-year-old Luis Sierra of Providence was the first person arrested in the vandalism. He was charged with malicious destruction of a vehicle by fire, and detained in federal custody.
Several hundred people showed up outside the Providence Place Mall for the June protest against the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The protest quickly escalated, as a police cruiser was torched and windows of businesses were shattered. Providence Police said a group of 75 to 100 people stormed the mall and looted more than a dozen businesses before officers forced them back outside. Dozens of people were arrested.
According to court documents, the investigation by the FBI, Providence Police, and the US Attorney's Office determined that Sierra allegedly set the Providence Police car on fire with the help of lighter fluid.
Scaglione is accused of then squirting a flammable liquid into the vehicle, causing the fire to intensify. The cruiser was destroyed.
Both men allegedly told other people about their roles in burning the cruiser.
They are each facing up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.