Rioter admits helping torch Trenton Police cruiser after George Floyd protest
TRENTON » One of three capital city rioters admitted helping alleged accomplices torch a city police cruiser during last year’s downtown Trenton mayhem, the feds said Tuesday.
Killian F. Melecio, 20, of Columbus, admitted to a single count of attempting to obstruct, impede, or interfere with law enforcement officers during a civil disorder affecting commerce, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said.
U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti accepted the guilty plea by video conference, the feds said.
Melecio faces up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 when he’s sentenced May 26. His lawyer didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment
Melecio and Kadeem A. Dockery, 29, of Trenton, were nabbed last August following two days of peaceful demonstrations over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The May 31 protest erupted into chaos when a group that included Melecio, Dockery and Justin Spry banded together to light a police cruiser ablaze, the feds said.
The melee on East State Street led to extensive damage: smashed storefonts, looting and attacks on multiple marked cruisers parked on the 100 block, according to the feds.
City surveillance and bystander footage showed Dockery light what the feds called an “explosive device” then toss it into the front driver’s seat window of a Trenton Police cruiser.
Dockery took off his shirt and handed it to Melecio, who tried stuffing the shirt into the gas tank of a cop car to ignite it, the feds said.
The feds claimed that Melecio then turned to help Spry set fire to a police vehicle.
Spry was tackled and taken into custody, and the feds later identified and caught up to Melecio and Dockery on Aug. 5 with the help of the footage, the feds said.
Dockery and Spry still face charges.
Local leaders attempted to paint the riot as led by a bunch of out-of-towners, but police records showed many Trentonians were also caught up and arrested in the mix.
Trenton Police Director Sheilah Coley slammed those who chose to “dishonor” Floyd’s legacy that day and promised to involve the feds.
“How dare you break in and loot and burn and steal ... and then say it’s because we’re outraged,” Coley said at a news conference the night of the violence. “So those new Nikes are going to make you feel better? ... This did not have to happen.”