Federal Charges Filed After Fire Outside Seattle Police Precinct

SEATTLE, WA — The United States Attorney's Office filed a federal arson charge Thursday against a 19-year-old man accused of setting a fire outside the Seattle Police Department's East Precinct after a march on Capitol Hill Monday night.

Desmond David-Pitts, 19, was arrested shortly after the fire and appeared at the U.S. District Court in Seattle on Thursday. According to the federal complaint, he arrived in Seattle from his home state of Alaska three days before Monday night's protests.

Prosecutors said David-Pitts was captured on surveillance video piling trash near a sally-port at the police precinct, and repeatedly lighting the debris on fire. The court filings say other people were caught on video attempting to block a nearby exit, but officers were able to get through the door and extinguish the flames outside.

According to prosecutors, the suspect was identified within an hour, partially due to wearing "distinctive pink camouflage trousers," and arrested without incident.

In a news release, outgoing Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best called the fire an "organized, pre-planned attack" and "an act of lawlessness." Incoming interim police chief Adrian Diaz said he hoped federal charges will "serve as a warning that crimes of violence will not be tolerated in Seattle."

David-Pitts is the fourth person to face federal charges related to demonstrations since May 29, and the third accused of arson. If found guilty, federal arson charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.