Monday, February 26, 2018

Former Seattle Resident Pleads Guilty to Federal Crime for Use of ‘Molotov Cocktail’ at May Day 2016 Protest


A former Seattle resident pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to unlawful possession of a destructive device for making and throwing bottles filled with gasoline at police officers on May 1, 2016, announced U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes.  WIL CASEY FLOYD, 33, of Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, was arrested in April 2017, after a lengthy investigation that linked him to a so-called ‘Black Bloc’ of protestors who threw unlit incendiary devices at Seattle Police during a May Day protest.  FLOYD faces up to ten years in prison when sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez on June 1, 2018.

 According to the plea agreement and other records in the case, FLOYD went online to research building Molotov cocktails.  He purchased the necessary supplies and constructed six of the explosive devices using beer bottles.  He placed the bottles filled with gasoline in a black bag.  FLOYD dressed in black, wore a black hood and a gas mask and joined the protest on the evening of May 1, 2016.  FLOYD threw five of the unlit destructive devices at Seattle Police Officers.  One of the Molotov cocktails thrown at police shattered at the feet of an officer and ignited his trousers when a flash-bang grenade went off.  The officer suffered burns to his leg.  FLOYD dropped the bag containing one remaining bottle of gasoline and changed his clothes and appearance before police could arrest him.  The evidence left at the scene on 4th Avenue South and South Seattle Boulevard and a variety of videos and ultimately helped identify FLOYD as a suspect.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, prosecutors agree to recommend a sentence of no more than 37 month in prison.  The ultimate sentence will be determined by Judge Martinez.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Seattle Police Department, both through its membership on the JTTF and with additional investigative groups.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Todd Greenberg and Tom Woods.

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