Floyd Rioter Who Attacked Police Gets 18 Months in Prison

The Department of Justice (DOJ) published a press release on Thursday announcing that the man who pled guilty to attacking police in Charleston, South Carolina during the 2020 George Floyd riots was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.

According to the release:

Acting United States Attorney M. Rhett DeHart announced today that Abraham Jenkins, 26, of Charleston, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to civil disorders related to the violence and destruction in downtown Charleston on May 30, 2020.

Jenkins is the second of six defendants to be sentenced on federal charges stemming from participation of actions including arson, inciting riots, and other civil disorder in Columbia and Charleston on May 30 and 31, 2020.

In the press release, DeHart noted the importance of South Carolinians First Amendment right to assemble, but also spoke of the need to bring “violent agitators committing crimes” to “justice.”

“The United States Attorney’s Office will always protect the First Amendment rights of South Carolinians,” DeHart said.  “However, when peaceful protests turn into violence and destruction, the violent agitators committing crimes will be brought to justice.”

The press release reported on Jenkins’ actions that led to his arrest, guilty plea and subsequent conviction.

Evidence presented in court showed that Jenkins stood on top of a Town of Mount Pleasant Police vehicle, damaging it; sprayed a fire extinguisher at police officers who were patrolling Charleston on two separate occasions; and threw a water bottle at a patrolling officer.  Jenkins also took a burning t-shirt and threw it through a broken back window of a Charleston Police cruiser, causing damage to the cruiser.

Jenkins can be seen in a video posted to Twitter jumping on a police cruiser on the date in question.

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