Las Vegas, Nevada - Tyree Walker, 23, Devarian Haynes, 23, and Ricardo Densmore, 24, all of Las Vegas, were arraigned in federal court Wednesday on an indictment charging them for conspiring to and setting fire to a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department vehicle during a protest in Las Vegas three weeks ago, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada.
Walker, Haynes, and Densmore were each charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit arson and two counts of arson. The defendants made their initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cam Ferenbach who scheduled a jury trial for August 24, 2020, before U.S. District Judge Andrew Gordon.
According to allegations contained in court documents, on May 31, 2020, Walker, Haynes, and Densmore conspired with each other to damage a marked Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) patrol vehicle while protests relating to George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis were occurring in the vicinity. Shortly after midnight on May 31, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue responded to a fire involving a LVMPD patrol vehicle parked near the intersection of South Ninth St. and East Carson Avenue in downtown Las Vegas. A video posted to social media captured the event, leading LVMPD investigators to Walker, Haynes, and Densmore. The video, which was filmed by Densmore, showed Haynes pouring a flammable liquid from a gas can through a broken front passenger side window of the patrol vehicle. Walker lit an object to ignite the liquid, and then Haynes dropped the gas can into the patrol vehicle. All three defendants fled when they heard sirens from an approaching LVMPD vehicle.
If convicted, each defendant faces on each of the conspiracy and arson counts: (a) a mandatory minimum sentence of five years; (b) a mandatory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and (c) up to a $250,000 fine. The minimum and maximum statutory sentences are prescribed by Congress, and are provided here for informational purposes only. If convicted of any offense, the sentencing of a defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This case was the product of an investigation by the ATF, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue, and the FBI-led Criminal Apprehension Team in conjunction with the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa Cartier-Giroux and Stephanie Ihler are prosecuting the case.