Staples Man Sentenced In Minneapolis Police 3rd Precinct Arson

MINNEAPOLIS — A Staples, Minnesota, man was ordered to serve 27 months in prison and pay $12 million in restitution following his conviction of conspiracy to commit arson at the Minneapolis Police Department’s 3rd Precinct building in May 2020.

Bryce M. Williams, 27, pleaded guilty to the charge in November, and he was sentenced Monday. Williams is the latest person to be convicted regarding the street violence that broke out in Minneapolis in the days after the death of George Floyd.

On May 28, 2020, Williams went to the 3rd Precinct police building, where a crowd of hundreds had gathered and began shouting, "Burn it down, burn it down," police said. The fence around the 3rd Precinct offices was torn down, and demonstrators moved into the building.

Surveillance footage from the building showed Williams standing near the entrance, holding a Molotov cocktail as another person — later identified as Davon De-Andre Turner — lit the wick, authorities said.

Turner and two other men were sentenced to prison earlier this year after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit arson at the 3rd Precinct.

"All four defendants charged in federal court have now been sentenced for their individual roles in the burning and near total destruction of the Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct building," said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

"Mr. Williams and his co-defendants have been held accountable for their dangerous and destructive actions. I thank our federal, state, and local partners who pursued justice in these cases."