Two men have been arrested for setting fire to a bank in La Mesa back in May 2020, when civil unrest gripped the small community in San Diego’s East County just after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
A joint law-enforcement announced Tuesday that two men had been arrested, accused of multiple criminal counts connected to the rioting that took place in La Mesa in May following a day of peaceful protests.
The protests in La Mesa took place after the in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the controversial arrest of a Black man, Amaurie Johnson, by LMPD Officer Matt Dages, a white officer, near a trolley stop in La Mesa. All charges against Johnson were later dropped.
The Chase Bank and a nearby Union Bank branch in the 4750 block of Spring Street were destroyed on the night of May 30 after they were broken into and set on fire.
Agents with the San Diego FBI field office released a statement Tuesday, in conjunction with the La Mesa and San Diego police departments, saying that San Diego resident Alexander Jacob King, 19, was arrested Monday, accused of the arson of the Chase Bank. Officials said that King was booked on charges of arson of a structure and looting.
Frank curtis
Frank Curtis said this was taken at the shopping center in La Mesa where it shows two people of different races coming together during a difficult time.
Anobel Khoushabeh
A protester with milk on his face in La Mesa.
Anobel Khoushabeh
A protester with goggles in La Mesa.
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Anobel Khoushabeh
A protester suffers an injury to his upper back during a demonstration in La Mesa.
Anobel Khoushabeh
A woman has milk on her face to help recover from wounds following a protest in La Mesa.
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Telemundo 20, Mar Gonzales
Community members come together to clean up the aftermath of the protests.
NBC 7, Ramon Galindo
Locals are seen cleaning up an acupuncturist office.
Ramon Galindo, NBC 7
This is the Randall Lamb building, an engineering firm, that was burned on Saturday night in La Mesa.
Ramon Galindo, NBC 7
This is the Randall Lamb building, an engineering firm, that was burned on Saturday night in La Mesa.
Telemundo 20, Mar Gonzales
Community members come together to clean up the aftermath of the protests.
NBC 7, Steven Luke
This is what La Mesa Chase Bank looked like the morning of May 31, 2020
NBC 7, Ramon Galindo
This is the Union Bank in La Mesa on the morning of May 31, 2020
NBC 7, Steven Luke
Heartland Fire & Rescue vehicle on fire in the La Mesa area on May 30, 2020.
Looters break into the Walmart at Grossmont Center.
Niala Charles/NBC 7
Chase Bank location in La Mesa set on fire during protests on May 30, 2020.
A crowd gathered outside the La Mesa Police Department moments before officers deployed tear gas into the crowd on May 30, 2020.
Lauren Coronado/NBC 7
Tear gas deployed into the crowd outside the La Mesa Police headquarters on May 30, 2020.
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La Mesa Police deploy tear gas into the crowd outside the headquarters on May 30, 2020.
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La Mesa Police deploy tear gas into the crowd outside the headquarters on May 30, 2020.
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Law enforcement in tactical gear surrounding the La Mesa Police headquarters on May 30, 2020.
La Mesa Police deploy tear gas into the crowd outside the headquarters on May 30, 2020.
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The California Highway Patrol in a standoff with protesters on Interstate 8 on May 30, 2020.
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Moments before the crowd breaks through the California Highway Patrol blockade on an Interstate 8 onramp.
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Demonstrators flood both directions of Interstate 8 on May 30, 2020.
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The California Highway Patrol in a standoff with protesters on May 30, 2020.
Niala Charles/NBC 7
Protesters gathered outside the headquarters early in the day on May 30, 2020.
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Racial Justice Coalition gathered at Liberty Station before a car caravan protest on May 30, 2020.
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Todd A. Davidson
Todd A. Davidson
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Carmen Adams
Armored vehicle in La Mesa outside Sally's beauty supply
Also arrested Monday was another San Diego man, Ricky Bernard Cooper, 33. Agents said was booked on four counts of looting as well as a felony charge of arson of a structure.
Both cases are now under review by the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, according to the FBI.
The arrests on Monday were not the first connected to the events in La Mesa in May. In early June, LMPD took 25-year-old La Mesa resident Rey Estrada-Silva into custody, accusing him of looting the Play It Again Sports store in the La Mesa Springs Shopping Center on University Avenue and La Mesa Boulevard.
King and Cooper are both being held at the jail in downtown San Diego. Officials said they have not yet had a date set for their arraignments.
The FBI told NBC 7 on Tuesday that the "investigation into the Union Bank arson is ongoing."
