LOS ANGELES : Man Found Guilty of Burning Store in Riots
In what is believed to be the first arson conviction stemming from the Los Angeles riots, a 34-year-old man was found guilty Wednesday of setting a fire that destroyed a 20-store mall in the Mid-City district.
The guilty verdict against Donald Coleman came largely because of the testimony of a witness who said he saw Coleman light a Molotov cocktail and hurl it into a 7-Eleven at 6th Street and Western Avenue, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Sally Lipscomb, who prosecuted the case.
The April 30 blaze spread quickly to adjacent offices and businesses. After three days of deliberation, a jury found Coleman guilty of using a destructive device, arson of the structures, arson of the equipment and fixtures in the store and burglary, Lipscomb said. He faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
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