Baltimore – A Baltimore man was sentenced to pay $1 million in restitution on Thursday for puncturing a fire hose at a burning drugstore during rioting last year, federal authorities said.
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Gregory Butler Jr, 22, was also sentenced by a federal judge to 250 hours of community service and three years of supervised release for obstructing firefighters at a CVS Health Corp pharmacy, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Baltimore said in a statement.
The drugstore was set afire in April 2015 during unrest after the funeral of Freddie Gray, a black man who died from an injury suffered while in police custody. His death heightened a U.S. debate on police treatment of minorities.
Butler had admitted to twice puncturing the hose with a knife. The incident was caught on video and the burning pharmacy became a symbol of unrest in the largely African-American city.
Justice has been served. Let this be an example to all looters & rioters.