Politics & Government
Berkeley Worker Sentenced To Prison
Ten police officers were injured after he had a boy throw an explosive device at them during a protest.
OAKLAND, CA — An Oakland man who worked as a bicycle mechanic at the nonprofit Waterside Workshops in Berkeley, was sentenced in federal court Thursday to two years and six months in prison for possessing an explosive device that he told a 13-year-old boy to throw at a group of police officers during a protest.
The demonstration attended by Giovonni Gaines, 23, on July 23, 2018, was a march by about 1,000 people in downtown Oakland in memory of Nia Wilson, who was fatally stabbed at the McArthur BART station the day before.
Gaines was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland. He pleaded guilty in April to one count of possessing an explosive device. He admitted during the plea that when he became upset with the way officers were interacting with the marchers, he took the device from his backpack, lit its fuse and told the boy to throw it at a group of officers.
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Ten officers were injured, including several who were struck in the legs with metal shards, according to prosecutors.
Defense attorney Colin Cooper said in a sentencing brief that Gaines thought the device was a firecracker, intended it to distract the officers and did not intend to harm anyone.
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He said Gaines's actions resulted from "an extreme error in judgment" during a chaotic event, and said Gaines is deeply remorseful.
— Bay City News
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