BOSTON (WHDH) - The U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts and the FBI are looking at the possibility of federal charges after last night’s riots in Boston, officials said Monday.
After thousands protested the death of George Floyd after Minneapolis officers knelt on his neck, hundreds of protesters clashed with police in Boston, with some vandalizing and stealing from stores in the Back Bay and Downtown Crossing. Boston police said 53 people were arrested on various charges.
Federal agencies said they were working with Boston and state police.
“The FBI has been in constant contact with the Boston Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police.
We are postured to assist them with whatever resources they need,” said Special Agent In Charge Joseph R. Bonavolonta in a statement. “We are also working with the Massachusetts United States Attorney’s Office to determine what – if any – federal violations may have occurred.”
U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said he supported “loud, even disruptive protests” in Floyd’s name but blasted the riots.
“Let me be clear: the violence and destruction last night in Boston was an embarrassment to the movement for police reform and accountability,” Lelling said in a statement. “The Boston Police, supported by State Police, Transit Police, federal law enforcement and the National Guard, was doing its job – the dangerous, necessary job of protecting the public safety. I support them completely and, if needed, I will use federal charges to make that point.”
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