Dylan Shakespeare Robinson Gets 4 Years For Role In Burning 3rd Precinct

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Brainerd man was sentenced Wednesday to four years in prison for his role in burning the 3rd Precinct police station in Minneapolis during the unrest following George Floyd's death.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says 23-year-old Dylan Shakespeare Robinson pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiracy to commit arson. His sentence includes two years of supervised release and $12 million in restitution.

Surveillance video captured Robinson on May 28 among a group of people lighting a Molotov cocktail and throwing it at the south Minneapolis police station as a crowd shouted, "Burn it down, burn it down!" On the video, Robinson is seen lighting the cocktail and throwing it at the building.

Three other men -- Bryce Michael Williams, 27, Davon De-Andre Turner, 25, and Branden Michael Wolfe, 23 -- are also facing charges for destroying the police station. Each has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit arson. They have yet to be sentenced.

Floyd, a Black man, died on May 25 while being pinned under the knee of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Floyd was arrested outside a southside corner store after allegedly trying to pass a fake $20 bill.

Floyd's death sparked days of protest and nights of violent unrest in the Twin Cities, with hundreds of buildings damaged, looted or burned. Much of the damage was along Lake Street, where the 3rd Precinct was located.

Last week, Chauvin was found guilty of murder in Floyd's death, becoming the first white police officer in Minnesota history to be convicted of murder in the death of a Black man.