Pilsen man pleads guilty to setting Chicago police vehicle on fire during 2020 riots
CHICAGO - A Pilsen man has pleaded guilty to setting a Chicago police SUV on fire while wearing a Joker mask during widespread demonstrations in May 2020 over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
On Thursday, 32-year-old Timothy O’Donnell pleaded guilty to obstructing law enforcement amid a civil disorder and admitted igniting a piece of cloth that he put in the police vehicle’s gas tank.
Pictures of a man wearing a joker mask and sitting in front of a burning squad car became one of the enduring images of the protests.
Timothy O'Donnell (Federal Court Records)
O’Donnell could serve up to four years in prison, and he owes the Chicago Police Department more than $58,000 in restitution.
Authorities say although O’Donnell was wearing the Joker mask, he was identified through a "PRETTY" tattoo seen on the person’s neck. A family member directed authorities to O’Donnell, officials said.
The unrest downtown and nationwide was over the death of George Floyd, who was handcuffed and died after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for several minutes as he pleaded for air.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.