DC Man Indicted For Attempting To Burn Down Police Precinct

WASHINGTON, DC — A federal grand jury indicted Jerritt Jeremy Pace, 39, of Washington, D.C., on multiple charges, including attempting to burn down a police precinct, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the District of Columbia.

After being arrested on May 29, Pace was charged on June 11 by criminal complaint with receiving an explosive via interstate commerce, using a means of interstate commerce to threaten the use of explosives, and attempted arson, according to the release. U.S. Magistrate Judge Robin M. Meriweather held Pace without bond on June 12. Pace faces three federal arson and explosives charges.

The criminal complaint and Pace's indictment are related to an incident on or about May 29, when he announced on social media that he was going to burn down a police station. He encouraged rioting against law enforcement and suggested that those following him go to the Metropolitan Police Department's Fourth District Station, which is located at 6001 Georgia Avenue N.W., to burn it down and “riot with the rest of the nation," according to the release.

Police say that around 6 a.m., on May 29, Pace filled a plastic laundry detergent container with gasoline and inserted a wick, which he ignited in front of the Fourth District Station. While no one was injured and the building remained unharmed, the container exploded, setting fire to the sidewalk. An off-duty detective and police officer immediately apprehended Pace.

“While the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia acknowledges the First Amendment right of individuals to protest peacefully, conduct that poses a grave risk to law enforcement, peaceful protestors, and community members alike will be prosecuted,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Michael R. Sherwin, in the release. “The quick investigative efforts of ATF and MPD thwarted a dangerous person’s attempt to use a makeshift gasoline bomb to potentially cause – in addition to property damage – serious bodily harm or death to law enforcement officers and members of our community.”

MPD, the ATF/DC Arson & Explosives Task Force, and D.C. Fire and EMS Fire Department partnered to investigate this case.

“Swift identification of violent offenders is key to stopping criminal acts that can destroy property, harm people, and take lives,” said ATF Washington Special Agent in Charge Ashan Benedict, in the release. “ATF will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to ensure the safety of our communities and the officers who serve them.”