Three Men Charged With Setting CTA Van On Fire During Civil Unrest Last Summer
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Three men are facing federal arson charges, after authorities say they set a Chicago Transit Authority van on fire during the widespread civil unrest in the city last May.
According to the indictment, 24-year-old Denzal Stewart, 23-year-old Lamar Taylor, and 19-year-old Darion Lindsey destroyed a CTA van by setting it on fire on May 30.
The indictment does not state where the incident took place, but widespread looting, arson, and violence erupted downtown on that evening in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The unrest later spread to the city's neighborhoods over the span of the next few days.
Stewart and Taylor were arrested Wednesday morning and pleaded guilty later in the day at their arraignment hearings. They're due back in court on Friday for detention hearings.
Lindsey already was in custody on an unrelated charge, and his arraignment has not yet been set.
All three men face 5 to 20 years in prison if convicted.