Minnesota man charged in connection to Minneapolis police station fire

A Minnesota man was charged in connection with the burning down of a Minneapolis police station after a protest over the death of George Floyd turned violent.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) announced Tuesday that Dylan Shakespeare Robinson, 22, was charged with aiding and abetting arson at the Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct. Robinson, who was arrested Sunday in Breckenridge, Colo., made his first appearance earlier today in front of a federal judge in Denver. 

According to a criminal complaint filed against him, Robinson is suspected of lighting a Molotov cocktail that another person threw at the police precinct on May 28. He later allegedly threw an incendiary device into the building himself. 

The criminal complaint cited videos found on Facebook and Snapchat detailing the illicit activity. On the video posted on Facebook, Robinson wrote comments saying, “These guys have never made a Molotov… Rookies,” and “We need gasoline.”

Robinson is on probation for possessing hallucinogens and reportedly told his probation officer he was moving to Denver, according to the complaint. 

A detention hearing for Robinson will be held on Friday.

The charges stem from a May 28 incident in which demonstrators who were protesting over the death of Floyd, an unarmed black man killed in police custody, set the Third Precinct on fire. The National Guard was ultimately brought into Minneapolis to grapple with bouts of violence. 

Branden Michael Wolfe, 23, of St. Paul was also charged last week with aiding and abetting arson in connection with the blaze.