26-year-old Staples man pleads guilty for role in Minneapolis Third Precinct arson

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A 26-year-old Staples, Minn. man pleaded guilty in connection with arson of the Third Precinct in Minneapolis this summer.

U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald announced Bryce Williams pleaded guilty before a judge Thursday to a charge of conspiracy to commit arson.

According to his guilty plea, on May 28, Williams went to the Third Precinct to join the crowd of people protesting the death of George Floyd. Williams and other co-conspirators breached the fence of the Third Precinct and entered the building.

Surveillance footage from inside the building showed Williams holding a Molotov cocktail while other co-conspirators lit the wick.

Williams was also seen throwing a box on a fire outside the Third Precinct entrance.