Federal prosecutors charged 2 men with setting a police car on fire during a 2020 George Floyd protest in Philadelphia
- A police vehicle was burned and destroyed during a protest after George Floyd's death in May 2020.
- Federal prosecutors charged two men with arson and obstruction of law enforcement for the crime.
- If convicted, the two charged men each face up to 65 years in prison.
Two men have been accused of burning a Pennsylvania State Police car during a Justice for George Floyd protest in Philadelphia in May 2020, according to federal prosecutors.
Ayoub Tabri, 25, and Lester Fulton Smith, 26, were both arrested and charged with two counts of arson and one count of obstruction of law enforcement.
Prosecutors allege that Tabri and Smith threw lit road flares into the police car, destroying the car and the weapons inside and burning the hand of one officer.
Acting US Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said Thursday that while "peaceful protest" will be protected, vandalism and arson are crimes.
"The U.S. Attorney's Office and the entire Department of Justice will always support peaceful protest - we are sworn to protect the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment," Williams said. "But that does not cover committing arson and other violent acts. Here, the defendants allegedly destroyed a police vehicle, endangering many lives including police officers and peaceful protestors nearby. This conduct is not free speech and is not protected by our constitution; rather, it is criminal."
If convicted, Tabri and Smith each face up to 65 years in prison with three years of supervised release and up to a $750,000 fine.