An Aurora man who threw an explosive at Naperville police during an outbreak of violence following a George Floyd protest in June 2020 was sentenced to a year in federal prison.
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Christian Rea, 21, pleaded guilty last year to obstructing law enforcement when he lobbed a lit incendiary device at a line of uniformed police officers, injuring several of them and possibly instigating an outbreak of looting and vandalism in downtown Naperville.
In addition to the prison term, Rea was also ordered to pay $13,585 in restitution to the city of Naperville by U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin, a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago said.
Officers injured by the device said they suffered from repeated headaches, ringing in the ears and vision loss, the release said.
“By intentionally throwing the firework at police officers, the defendant demonstrated a lack of respect for the law,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Jonas said in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “His actions could have sparked the crowd to engage in the very unlawful conduct the officers were there to prevent.”
At the time of the June 1, 2020, melee, officials said the explosion near Washington Street and Chicago Avenue occurred at the outset of the violence.
About two dozen downtown restaurants, stores and other buildings had windows broken and some were broken into and looted. At least one restaurant was damaged by incendiary devices, and one person stabbed while trying to stop vandalism from occurring.
Rea was among the dozen or so people who were ultimately arrested. Two burglaries occurred at the same time in other parts of town and may have been orchestrated to take place while police were centered downtown, officials said.