Alaska man sentenced to 20 months in prison for arson at Seattle’s East Precinct
May 24, 2021, 2:10 PM
The East Precinct in what was known as the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest. (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
The Alaska man who set fire to the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct last summer now faces jail time.
Seattle police remove concrete barriers outside East Precinct
Desmond David-Pitts, 20, was sentenced Monday in the U.S. District Court in Seattle to 20 months in prison for conspiracy to commit arson in connection with the fire he set Aug. 24, 2020, at the East Precinct. Surveillance video shows him piling up trash and lighting it on fire outside of a precinct door. He was arrested shortly after the fire.
At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour noted the danger posed to the officers who could have been trapped in the building.
“A handful of people bent on destruction, by committing arson and threatening the safety of our community, also drowned out the important message of those who peacefully protest injustice,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. “This defendant joined with others to put Seattle Police Officers at risk. It is wholly appropriate that he spend time in prison as a consequence of his criminal acts.”
All the fires were able to be extinguished by police officers and members of the Seattle Fire Department.
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David-Pitts has also agreed to pay restitution to SPD for the damage he caused to the building.
The KIRO Radio Newsdesk contributed to this report.
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