BUFFALO, N.Y. — A Buffalo teenager has pleaded guilty to assaulting a federal officer during a protest in the City of Buffalo back in May.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York says following the death of George Floyd, thousands of protesters gathered outside of Niagara Square in the City of Buffalo on May 30.
On that day, The U.S. Attorney's Office says law enforcement officers from the United States Marshals Service, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Protective Service, and the Buffalo Police Department were deployed to protect the Jackson Courthouse when some protesters became violent.
Law enforcement officers had formed a perimeter around the steps to prevent protesters from damaging or entering the courthouse. The U.S. Attorney's Office says the officers did not engage with protesters except to keep them from entering or approaching the courthouse.
During the protest, a Deputy United States Marshal was hit in the face with a water bottle, which was thrown by Keyondre Robinson, 18.
Nearly seven months later, Robinson has pleaded guilty to assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Robinson faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine when he's sentenced in May.
“With this plea, the defendant becomes the second individual to be convicted in the District in connection with the violent protests which were held here in late-May,” said U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr.
“In pleading guilty, defendant acknowledged that his behavior was not constitutionally protected expression but criminal conduct. Lawlessness, violence, and property damage are inherently unjust and antithetical to the objectives of those well-intentioned individuals who come together seeking positive change in our community."
