Five Hall County men have been charged by a federal grand jury in an arson case associated with a Gainesville Police car which was being torched with a flare gun at the officer’s residence, according to officials.
Those charged include Deveccho Waller Jr., 21, Jesse Smallwood, 21, Dashun Martin, 23, and Judah Bailey, 20, all of Gainesville, and Bruce Thompson, 22, of Oakwood.
A Gainesville Police Department patrol car had been set on fire on June 2 in the parking lot of an apartment complex.
“While using the cover of peaceful protests in Gainesville, the defendants allegedly sought out and deliberately burned a police vehicle,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Those seeking to perpetrate criminal acts of violence toward our law enforcement officers should expect to be prosecuted to the complete extent of the law.”
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, a witness observed an older model vehicle with no lights parked close to the apartment entrance. The witness saw two people from the car approached the patrol car prior to a “loud bang followed by a bright light” and smoke coming from the patrol car, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.
“We want our community to know we stand with them during their rights to peacefully protest. Sadly, agitators that do not necessarily share the same goals as our community took this opportunity to target one of our officers at his residence. We will not stand for this type of destruction and violence in our community,” said Gainesville Police Chief Jay Parrish in a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
A lookout went out over the radio for the suspect automobile, and officers spotted one matching the description at a nearby gas station and convenience store.
“The driver, Jesse James Smallwood, agreed to speak to one of the officers and gave permission for his car to be investigated. During the search, officers recovered three spent explosives and a flare gun. Smallwood and his passengers, Waller Jr., Thompson, Bailey, and Martin, were all arrested for the arson,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office noted.
The indictment consists of one count of general conspiracy and one count of arson, where it is alleged the police patrol unit is “used in interstate and foreign commerce, and in activities affecting interstate and foreign commerce”.
Riots and demonstrations have spread in the United States after a cop was caught on tape with his knee on the neck of a man later identified as George Floyd.
