As the riots raged in Seattle during 2020’s “summer of love,” Justin Christopher Moore, 35, of Renton, Washington, schemed to burn down the Seattle Police Officers Guild building. While others marched, yelled, and rioted, Mr. Moore created and carried a case of a dozen Molotov cocktails. Luckily, his plot was not carried out, but Mr. Moore was finally arrested and served with some degree of justice, as he will be locked away for 40 months.
The precipitating incident occurred on Labor Day of 2020, when Moore joined others and marched toward the police guild building. The police smelled gasoline in the air and feared for the worst, particularly given the hatred in the air, most of it directed toward police officers, and the months of riots and looting that followed George Floyd’s death in May.
Fortunately, the police were able to usher the crowd away from the area before Moore could deploy his crudely wrought weapons. The Department of Justice, describing what happened, wrote, “According to court documents, Justin Christopher Moore, 35, of Renton, made and carried a box of 12 Molotov cocktails in a protest march to the Seattle Police Officers Guild building on Labor Day, Sept. 7, 2020. Ultimately, the marchers were moved away from the building in downtown Seattle. Police smelled gasoline and grew concerned about the intentions of protestors.”
“The box containing the 12 gasoline devices was found in the parking lot next to the SPOG building. Using video from that day and from other protests, as well as information from the electronic devices of other co-conspirators, Moore was confirmed as the person seen carrying the box of destructive devices,” it continued.
Then the investigation continued for almost a year, at which point th police raided Moore’s residence and seized incriminating evidence. The DOJ, describing that aspect of the case, wrote, “In June 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Moore’s residence. They seized clothing that is consistent with the images of what Moore was wearing when he carried the Molotov cocktails. From the basement storage area, they also recovered numerous items that are consistent with manufacturing explosive devices. Law enforcement recovered a notebook in which Moore had made entries related to the manufacturing of destructive devices and the ingredients necessary.”
The case then went to court. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg for the Western District of Washington noted that Moore’s conduct was inherently dangerous in asking for Moore to be locked up for 41 months, saying, “Moore’s offense was extremely dangerous and created a substantial risk of injury to numerous bystanders…. Moore carried the box of 12 Molotov cocktails in a crowd of over 1,000 people who were participating in the protest march. All of them were in harm’s way if one of the devices had exploded.”
Moore was given 40 months by the judge, who was persuaded to do so by Moore’s attack on a Starbucks months after the Molotov cocktail incident. Moore, who pleaded guilty, had also begged for mercy, saying, “I love my country and I hate when she’s in pain. I started protesting in the spirit of alleviating that pain. Instead I failed miserable. I’m deeply sorry.”
Featured image credit: By Hungryogrephotos – 20200528-_DSC8105, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=90776216
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