Tacoma man sentenced for setting fire to Seattle Police East Precinct during protests
A Tacoma man was sentenced in U.S. District Court on Tuesday for setting fire to the outside of a Seattle police building during the 2020 Capitol Hill “CHOP” occupation and protest.
Isaiah Thomas Willoughby, 36, was sentenced to two years in prison and three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman said in a news release. Gorman said the fire Willoughby set put protesters camped nearby at risk.
Willoughby was charged with arson in June 2020 and pleaded guilty in June 2021.
In June, defense attorney Dennis Carroll released a statement about why Willoughby set the fire: ““Isaiah Willoughby was housemates with Manny Ellis when Mr. Ellis was killed by law enforcement officers. Mr. Willoughby’s actions in setting the fire at the East Precinct were motivated in large part by the killing of his friend Manny, the murder of George Floyd, and his own experiences with law enforcement. After learning that the State of Washington would hold Manny’s killers accountable, Mr. Willoughby decided that he would take accountability for his own actions by entering a plea of guilty for his actions related to a fire he set at the Seattle Police Department East Precinct.”
Ellis died while being restrained by Tacoma police in March 2020. Three officers were charged in his death, two with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter and another with first-degree manslaughter. They’ve pleaded not guilty and await trial.
Prosecutors said Willoughby was caught on surveillance video on June 12, 2020, standing next to debris piled near the wall of the Seattle Police East Precinct and then pouring gasoline on the debris. The video shows him light something on fire and toss it on the pile, which begins to burn.
The fire scorched the side of the building but was extinguished by nearby protesters using fire extinguishers, according to the release.
Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg told the court the fire “was counterproductive to what the protesters were trying to accomplish,” according to the release. In asking for a three-year sentence, prosecutors noted that Willoughby planned the crime, “posting about his anger and intent on Facebook.”
Seattle Police Department released photos of the arson suspect, and various people recognized Willoughby in them, according to the release. Relatives of Willoughby told police he was in Seattle at the Capitol Hill “CHOP” occupation at the time of the fire.
Willoughby was arrested two days after the fire, July 14, and was booked into the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac.
This story was originally published October 5, 2021 at 11:53 AM.
