Richmond police arrested and charged four individuals with rioting Tuesday night after buildings in downtown Richmond were damaged and defaced.
“On Tuesday night a group of individuals broke windows and damaged and defaced property in several neighborhoods in the city of Richmond,” Richmond police said in a statement obtained by The Virginia Star. “At approximately 11:50 p.m., officers detained several individuals. The Department consulted with the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney on possible charges and charged four.”
The four people arrested and charged are as follows: Julius Dela Cruz, Lakshmi Menon, Kyra Nguyen and Brian Quach. A metal crowbar and hammer, among other items, were seized, according to police.
The rioters broke windows at the John Marshall Courthouse, the Omni Hotel, SunTrust and other places, while also spraying graffiti on some of the damaged buildings, according to reporting and photos from NBC 12 Richmond.
State Senator Joseph Morrissey (D-16) issued a strong condemnation toward those committing violence, specifying that it is not all protesters who act in that manner.
“It’s one thing to support [Black Lives Matter], which I do,” Morrissey said in an interview with The Star. “I have four African American children and I certainly support BLM, but I am fed up with those protesters that have embedded themselves [among] peaceful protesters and don’t give a wit about George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. They just care about committing violence and I don’t support it.”
Along with Morrissey’s harsh comments toward the rioters, he also pointed blame at Mayor Levar Stoney for not having better control over the protests that have been ongoing for months, citing this most recent incident and others in previous months.
“You have to have law and order,” Morrissey said. “And the mayor has completely lost control of the situation, and now it’s at a point where [Stoney] is trying to appease the mob.”
The office of Mayor Stoney did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Star.
According to reporting from CBS 6 News, the buildings were targeted to protest home evictions happening during the coronavirus pandemic.
This past Friday, the Virginia Supreme Court granted Governor Ralph Northam’s request to suspend evictions during the pandemic beginning Monday and lasting through September 7, according to a state government web page.
Anyone with further information on the damaged buildings and defaced property is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000.
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Jacob Taylor is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network. Follow Jacob on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected]
