11 charged with looting, other crimes after George Floyd protests in Sacramento

Sacramento prosecutors have filed their first charges related to looting and rioting incidents over the weekend during the George Floyd protests that have enveloped the city since last Friday.

Eleven individuals have been charged with counts ranging from looting, resisting arrest, burglary, vandalism and rioting, District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said Tuesday.

Protests and riots have erupted nationwide since the Memorial Day death of Floyd after a Minneapolis police officer held him down for nine minutes with his knee on George’s neck, an event that was captured on video that went viral.

Large-scale marches and protests began in Sacramento last Friday night in Oak Park and have since spread to the Capitol and downtown, which has also been the scene of widespread looting and rioting. Protest organizers have emphasized that they believe the looting is not related to their marches but instead being perpetrated by individuals taking advantage of police being distracted by the marches.

Some protest participants themselves have said the have intervened to halt looting, which has spread from downtown through Midtown, damaged more than 100 businesses — including a Macy’s department store in Downtown Commons — and resulted in more than $10 million in damages.

The looting prompted the City Council to order an 8 p.m. curfew Monday and Tuesday nights, and led to 500 National Guard troops being stationed around public buildings and the Golden 1 Center on Monday evening.

Schubert’s office and court officials released information on incidents involving 14 people who were arrested, including one dropped for insufficient evidence and two others still under investigation.

Two of the suspects, Quiesha Edington and Brandi Marie Smith, were charged with commercial burglary, looting and resisting arrest after being seen inside the BevMo store at 17th and J streets, which was looted on Saturday night and then again Sunday night.

Schubert’s office said the women were seen inside the store Sunday, and that one was wearing latex gloves and the other was on probation.

“They fled when contacted by law enforcement,” the D.A. said. Sacramento County Jail booking records show they are not in custody. Online records indicate they are from Sacramento.

The third defendant is Timothy Dockery, 33, who was arrested following the looting of a Walgreen’s on Mack Road in a vehicle stop after officers saw that he fit the description of a man seen on store video cameras, officials said.

“He was on searchable probation with numerous prior convictions,” Schubert’s office said. “Officers located prescription pills stolen from the Walgreens. He was charged with looting and receiving stolen property.”

Dockery remained in jail Tuesday afternoon in lieu of $10,000 bail.

Another man, Vincent James Whitted, was charged with commercial burglary, looting and resisting arrest after police found him inside the CVS drug store on K Street behind the BevMo, officials said. He is not listed as remaining in custody.

Three other defendants — Elizabeth Jan Fallis, Ronald Terrance Silva and Leonard Pablojesus Torres — were charged with commercial burglary, looting and receiving stolen property after a law-enforcement helicopter saw looting taking place at the Break Time Mini Mart in downtown Sacramento and officers stopped their vehicle, officials said.

“Property from the mini-mart and a shoe store that had also been ransacked was located in the vehicle,” the D.A. said. All three are out of custody, records show.

Basil Alaubali, 20, of Stockton, was charged with commercial burglary, looting and resisting arrest after officers confronted him inside the Target store at Fulton Avenue and Alta Arden on Sunday and he “fled on foot, dropping items along the way,” officials said. He was released from custody Monday.

Another man, Uriel Maldonado-Torre, was charged with felony vandalism and rioting after he was seen spray painting two patrol cars on Saturday, officials said. He is not in custody.

Ronniesha Leanie Levan, 18, was charged with looting and commercial burglary in connection with activities inside the BevMo on Sunday, authorities said. She was in custody Tuesday in lieu of $10,000 bail.

Another case stems from a tense confrontation Friday night on the 12th Avenue overpass over Highway 99 during which officers and about 75 protesters squared off after midnight.

“Officers were in the process of rescuing a motorist from her car, which was surrounded by an angry mob who had already slashed her tires and broken her windows,” the D.A. said. “Several individuals in the crowd hurled bricks, bottles and other objects at the officers.”

Jeremy Isom, 23, of Clearlake, was charged with felony assault on an officer and rioting after allegedly throwing a large clay pot at them. He remained in the Sacramento County Jail Tuesday in lieu of $200,000 bail.

Officers at that scene were also pelted with river rocks, a brick and water bottles.