CRIME, POLICE + COURTS
Five people charged with felonies in destruction of police car
Jul 8, 2020, 4:42 PM | Updated: 5:16 pm
A police car was overturned during a protest that turned violent in SLC on Saturday. (Photo credit: KSL5 TV)
(Photo credit: KSL5 TV)
SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City police confirm that five people caught on camera overturning a police car during a May 30 protest have been identified and charged.
Photo credit: Salt Lake City Police Department
Connor Peebles, Rhy Wisner, Julie Yasima, Ian Nightingale and Folu Mafi have been charged with felony criminal mischief and felony riot.
Protestors had gathered on Saturday, May 30, to denounce the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, a Black man who died after a White police officer was seen on video kneeling on his neck.
The Salt Lake City protest began peacefully but turned violent; protesters broke windows at the Library Square TRAX station and then looted a nearby 7-Eleven.
Not long after, Salt Lake City police responded in riot gear. There were reports that tear gas had been used on crowds near the headquarters of the Salt Lake City police.
The situation has escalated again. Protesters smashed windows of another police car, and some tear gas was just deployed in the area. #GeorgeFloydprotest pic.twitter.com/pyFkNv8afB
— Jacob Klopfenstein (@JFKlopfenstein) May 30, 2020
Police car destroyed
The protest escalated from peaceful chanting to property damage.
KSL reporter Paul Nelson captured the destruction of the police car in a Livestream to Facebook.
Nelson shared photos of the burning police cruiser on Twitter. Reporters on the scene did not observe any attempt to put out the flames. Nelson also witnessed damage to the Utah Transit Authority Trax station near 400 S. 200 E.
A cop car is overturned and set on fire and a Trax station was demolished on the corner of 400 South and 200 East pic.twitter.com/H1MRwnGFtb
— Paul Nelson (@KSLPaul) May 30, 2020
— Paul Nelson (@KSLPaul) May 30, 2020
Contributing: KSL Newsradio staff
