Men Who Torched Police Cruiser during BLM Riots Land Plea Deal

Over the weekend, Vegas Fox 5 News reported: “3 men plead guilty to setting fire to police car during Las Vegas racial justice protests.”

Tyree Walker, 23; Devarian Haynes, 23; and Ricardo Densmore, 24; all pleaded guilty to one count of civil disorder, the U.S. District court said.

According to police and court documents, the three men were participating in protests regarding the death of George Floyd on May 31, 2020 in downtown Las Vegas. Walker, Haynes, and Densmore each admitted to setting fire to a marked LVMPD patrol vehicle parked near the intersection of S. Ninth Street and E. Carson Avenue. The three also admitted that their actions could have caused serious damage to others, as they knew there was ammunition in the LVMPD vehicle that could have exploded, prosecutors said.

The same BLM “protest” resulted in Las Vegas Metro Officer Shay Mikalonis being shot in the back of the head while on patrol with a group of officers who worked at the protest on the Las Vegas Strip.

As reported by CBS News:

A judge who reviewed evidence at a June 5 court hearing said that police video shows Edgar Samaniego “walking by, taking out a gun and firing … at officers.”

He is charged with attempted murder, battery and firearms charges and is being held in lieu of $1 million. Samaniego has since plead guilty to eight charges, including charges of attempted murder.

Officer Mikalonis was paralyzed from the waste down. According to Channel 8 news: “Mikalonis continues to recover from the shooting. He requires 24-hour care and breathes with the help of a ventilator.”

A few days after the shooting and protest, Gov. Sisolak released the following video.

In the above video, Sisolak says: “To those who will be out on our streets asking to be seen and asking to be heard, I thank you.” The governor then called for police officers to be “patient” with the rioters.

According to Sheriff Joe Lombardo, this video set him on his course to run for Governor. In the summer of 2021, I had a chance to speak with Lombardo about his run for Nevada governor and the BLM riots.

Lombardo told me it was in that moment when he saw Gov. Sisolak praise the BLM rioters the day after Officer Shay Mikalonis was shot in the back of the head and one of his police cruisers was set on fire that he had enough and was determined to run against Sisolak.

Steven Grammas, President of Las Vegas Police Protective Association, told the Globe:

“Sisolak’s words are hurtful to my officers who did a great job under very stressful conditions during the BLM riots. Every voter should remember what Sisolak said on that video after Officer Shay Mikalonis was shot come election time.”