Two Brooklyn attorneys and an upstate woman were indicted for firebombing NYPD vehicles during late May protests following the death of African-American George Floyd, NBC New York reported early Saturday morning.
The lawyers, 32-year-old Colinford Mattis and 31-year-old Urooj Rahman were reportedly charged after Rahman hurled a Molotov cocktail at an NYPD vehicle before fleeing the scene with Mattis.
Catskill, NY resident Samantha Shader, 27, was accused of firebombing an NYPD vehicle occupied by four officers, later biting the legs of one of the officers arresting her, NBC reported.
According to the channel, the three have been indicted by a grand jury, each facing seven counts and up to life in prison if convicted of the offenses.
"These defendants are charged with attacking the New York City Police Department while its Police Officers are risking their lives to protect the Constitutional rights of protesters and the safety of us all," US Attorney Richard Donoghue for the Eastern District of New York said.
"No rational human being can ever believe that hurling firebombs at Police Officers and vehicles is justified," he continued, according to a release by the Department of Justice.
"The Eastern District of New York will do everything in its power to protect those who protect us all, and we will ensure that criminals who use the camouflage of lawful protest to launch violent attacks against Police Officers face justice."
According to FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney, "when you conduct a violent attack that breaks federal law, the FBI New York office, along with our NYPD and Department of Justice partners, will move with speed to hold you accountable."
The official added that "behavior like the attacks charged here puts our entire community - protesters and first responders alike - in danger, and we will simply not allow it to go unaddressed. The consequences for conducting this alleged attack, and any similar activity planned for the future, will be severe."
Protests broke out in Minneapolis late May following the death of Floyd, killed by Officer Derek Chauvin. A video circulating social media and news showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for some eight minutes while the latter was saying he could not breathe. Floyd was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
According to the Associated Press, dozens of businesses across the Twin Cities boarded up their windows amid the spreading racial riots in order to prevent looting. Minneapolis-based Target announced it was temporarily closing two dozen stores in the area, AP reported. Turning violent, the protests spread across the US.
In addition to the spreading riots, thousand of peaceful protesters reportedly marched through the streets of Minneapolis calling for justice, as other rallies are organized across the US. According to AP, local leaders urged demonstrators to refrain from using violence.