Man Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison For North Philadelphia ATM Blast During 2020 Civil Unrest
PHILADELPHIA (CBS/AP) -- A Philadelphia man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for blowing up an ATM and possessing an illegal firearm during unrest in the city during the aftermath of George Floyd's murder in 2020. Federal prosecutors said Tuesday that 26-year-old David Elmakayes has been sentenced to a 15-year prison term, along with three years of supervised release.
Authorities said Elmakayes used an explosive device to blow up an ATM on the 200 block of East Westmoreland Street in North Philadelphia around 11:45 p.m. on June 3, 2020. Elmakayes was arrested shortly after and was in possession of three more explosive devices, a .32 caliber pistol and other firearms.
"This defendant took advantage of a volatile situation on the streets of Philadelphia to commit a dangerous act that could have injured many people," U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said. "Damaging property with an explosive device and illegally carrying a firearm are federal crimes which our Office will aggressively prosecute. Elmakayes will now spend 15 years in prison for these crimes."
Philadelphia police said at the time that 50 cash machines were hit by explosives in the same week amid civil unrest across the nation after Floyd died in Minneapolis in May 2020 after a police officer pressed his knee into his neck as he pleaded for air.
In Floyd's killing, a former Minneapolis officer was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison on murder and manslaughter convictions and also pleaded guilty to a federal count of violating Floyd's rights. Three other officers were convicted of federal civil rights violations; one has pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge and two await trial.
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