LITTLE ROCK, Ark — Cody Hiland, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, hosted a press conference on Thursday.
Federal and local law enforcement officials joined him in addressing the fire bombing of local law enforcement vehicles in the central Arkansas area in August 2020.
"Thirty-three tires were slashed and about $42,000 worth of damage done. These are tax payer dollars that bought these police vehicles," said Col. Bill Bryant with the Arkansas State Police.
Hiland announced four arrests have been made in connection to the fire bombings of LRPD, NLRPD, and Arkansas State Police vehicles.
Those arrested were all residents of Little Rock: 31-year-old Brittany Dawn Jeffrey, 27-year-old Emily Nowlin, 22-year-old Renea Goddard, and 24-year-old Aline Espinosa-Villegas.
They are accused of creating Molotov cocktails and setting fire to patrol cars back in August. They are also well known activists who have been a part of several protests against police brutality.
"Peaceful protests are protected by the constitution and encouraged and we want that to happen, but when you cross the line and see an escalation in targeting and the level of violence related to law enforcement there has to be a hard stop," said Hiland.
The investigation included surveillance video and cell phone GPS data. Investigators were able to pin point where all four people were on the night of the crimes.
They are charged with Malicious Destruction of Property Belonging to an Entity Receiving Federal Funding, Conspiracy to Commit those Acts, and Possession of Destructive Devices.
If they are found guilty of these charges, they could face up to 30 years in prison.
This is an ongoing investigation.
You can view the full press conference here: