Minnesota resident who set fire to Minneapolis police station last year jailed and fined $12M

A Minnesota man has been sentenced to four years in prison and fined $12 million for setting fire to a Minneapolis Police Department precinct station during last summer's social justice protests.

Dylan Shakespeare Robinson, 23, was arrested in Colorado about two months after the incident and pleaded guilty in December 2020.

He was part of the demonstrations that followed the May 25, 2020, death of George Floyd, in which a large crowd began to chant "burn it down" outside of the precinct. Floyd died while in Minneapolis police custody, sparking a summer of protests worldwide. 

Robinson tore down a perimeter fence and lit a molotov cocktail before someone threw it at the building, according to the federal complaint. 

"On the night of May 28, 2020, Mr. Robinson chose to depart from lawful protest and instead engaged in violence and destruction," Anders Folk, acting U.S. Attorney for the Minnesota District said in a press release. "The arson at the Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct put lives at risk and contributed to widespread lawlessness in Minneapolis."

Three other men have also pleaded guilty for their roles in the arson but have yet to be sentenced. 

Robinson will serve 48 months in prison and two years of supervised release.