Brainerd Man Gets 4 Years in Prison, Restitution for MPD 3rd Precinct Arson
A Brainerd man has been sentenced to 48 months in prison and must pay $12 million in restitution for his role in the arson at the Minneapolis Police Department’s 3rd Precinct building last May.
According to court documents, on the night of May 28, 2020, Dylan Shakespeare Robinson, 23, went to the 3rd Precinct where a crowd of hundreds had gathered to protest the killing of George Floyd by ex-officer Derek Chauvin on May 25. At one point, the crowd began shouting, “Burn it down, burn it down,” according to the documents.
Soon after, a fence that was erected to keep trespassers out of the area of the precinct was torn down. Robinson, along with other co-conspirators, breached the fence and entered the building, where he allegedly list the fuse of an object that was thrown into the building by an unidentified co-conspirator.
“Robinson chose to depart from lawful protest and instead engaged in violence and destruction. The arson at the Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct put lives at risk and contributed to widespread lawlessness in Minneapolis,” acting U.S. Attorney Anders Folk said in a statement.
“Arson, being inherently violent, is a serious crime that put many of our community members at risk, and it cannot be tolerated,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jeff Reed of the ATF St. Paul Field Division.
“The danger posed by the defendant in this case was very real,” said Michael Paul, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Minneapolis field office. “Today’s sentencing sends a clear message—regardless of motivation, when someone is intent on conducting a violent act that breaks federal law, the FBI and our law enforcement partners will move assertively to hold them accountable. This type of behavior puts public servants and our entire community in danger, and we simply will not let it go unaddressed.”
Robinson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit arson in relation to the case late last year. As part of his sentencing on Wednesday, he was ordered to serve two years of supervised release and pay $12 million in restitution.
Co-conspirators Bryce Michael Williams, 27, Davon De-Andre Turner, 25, and Branden Michael Wolfe, 23, have all pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit arson for their roles in the arson at the 3rd Precinct building. They will be sentenced at a later date.
This case was the result of an investigation conducted jointly by the ATF, the FBI, the Minneapolis Police Department and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal Division.