By Stephen Rex Brown|
New York Daily News
NEW YORK — A Bronx man faces up to 20 years in prison for throwing a Molotov cocktail at parked NYPD vehicles in June, prosecutors announced Thursday.
Shawn Jenkins, 33, told a person at a nearby homeless shelter, “Ya might wanna get out of here, I’m gonna throw this at the police,” before tossing the bottle at two parked NYPD vehicles on June 1 at 11:30 p.m., according to a Manhattan Federal Court complaint. The Molotov missed its target and damaged a nearby personal vehicle owned by an NYPD officer, prosecutors said.
“As alleged, Jenkins brazenly and deliberately fire-bombed a marked NYPD vehicle without regard for human life or property,” ATF Special Agent-in-Charge John DeVito said.
An anonymous tipster, after seeing an NYPD “Wanted” flier of the suspect, contacted investigators and tipped them off to Jenkins, who lives near the precinct, according to the complaint. Jenkins sported the same “Straight Outta Bermuda” hoodie during an unrelated arrest in November, prosecutors said.
The Justice Department has prioritized prosecutions of cases linked to the racial justice protests that followed the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25. Federal charges usually yield tougher sentences and there’s no chance of parole. Jenkins faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison the single count of arson.
Brooklyn federal prosecutors fought aggressively to keep two lawyers accused of hurling a Molotov cocktail into an empty NYPD car behind bars while awaiting trial. They were granted bail on appeal after spending 25 days in jail on charges that carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
“Shawn Jenkins allegedly threw a glass bottle containing a lit wick with gas accelerant at an NYPD vehicle in the Bronx. Jenkins’ alleged actions — causing an adjacent vehicle to be damaged — are as reckless as they are misguided. There is never an acceptable time or situation to attempt to damage the property of law enforcement professionals who serve to protect the public, and this case is emblematic of our resolve to bring anyone who does so to justice,” acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said.
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