Man at hospital is the one who set a Miami police car on fire during protests, cops say
June 9, 2020 1:30 p.m. UPDATE: Giovanni Franchesko Fernandez, 38, has been identified by Miami police Tuesday as the man responsible for setting a Miami police cruiser on fire during last month’s protest against police brutality in downtown Miami.
Fernandez experienced an unrelated medical emergency Thursday and was taken by fire rescue to a hospital for treatment, Miami police said. Someone who recognized Fernandez (whose photos were broadcast on news outlets) then contacted authorities with his location.
Police say Fernandez will be facing state charges for arson, criminal mischief, and inciting a riot, along with other federal charges once he is discharged from the hospital.
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The FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for any information that can help agents identify, arrest and convict the man they believe set a Miami police cruiser on fire during last month’s protest against police brutality in downtown Miami.
Photos released by the federal agency Monday shows the man, who has tattoos visible on his arm, next to a police car that appears to have a damaged window.
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Agents say the police car he set ablaze May 30 was under Interstate 95 on the corner of Northwest Third Avenue and Northwest Fourth Street. No one was injured.
“The FBI holds sacred the rights of individuals to peacefully exercise their First Amendment freedoms. Unfortunately, we are seeing individuals who are taking advantage of these peaceful assemblies to pursue violence and in doing so are threatening the rights and safety of all citizens,” FBI Miami Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro said in a statement.
The incident happened on the first Saturday of protests in Miami, May 30, following the Memorial Day death of George Floyd, the 46-year-old unarmed black man who died after a Minneapolis cop knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. The officer, Derek Chauvin, has since been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter; three other cops who were with him have also been charged criminally.
If convicted, Chauvin, 44, could face up to 40 years in prison.
“Although we support the right to free speech and the right to assemble, we will not tolerate flagrant violations of the law. If someone decides that they want to destroy property and or harm our residents, they will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Miami Chief of Police Jorge Colina said in a statement.
Colina told the Miami Herald last month that the department would be pursuing people who defaced police cars, vandalized walls and highways or were throwing objects during the protests that began on May 30.
A total of 17 squad cars were damaged that night, ranging from punctured tires, broken windows and burned vehicles, Miami police previously told the Miami Herald.
The FBI, Miami police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives say they are investigating the incident relating to the police car. Anyone with information that can help agents identify the pictured man is asked to call the FBI at (754) 703-2000 or go to fbi.gov/violence.
This story was originally published June 9, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
