Man convicted of August 2020 arson, riot sentenced to 100 months in prison

A St. Paul man was sent to prison for 100 months after participating in the downtown Minneapolis riots of August 2020.

A news release from the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office said 32-year-old Victor Devon Edwards drove to downtown Minneapolis during a citywide curfew and joined a large crowd after a false rumor claimed police had killed a man earlier that evening.

The news release also said that Edwards was seen on video entering, looting and burning multiple closed stores and businesses over the course of about three hours.

Those stores include Saks Off Fifth, Caribou Coffee, Target Headquarters and Brit’s Pub on Nicollet Mall.

Surveillance video also showed Edwards adding fuel to a fire at Target Headquarters. That fire was found to have caused almost $1 million in damage. Brit’s Pub also caught fire shortly after Edwards entered the building, according to the release.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that "Edwards bragged about his participation in the rioting and looting" and referenced a video where Edwards was seen flashing large amounts of cash.

Edwards was convicted on Aug. 12 by a federal jury of one count of riot and one count of arson.