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Buffalo man pleads guilty to throwing burning basket into Buffalo City Hall in May 2020

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Posted at 6:07 PM, Oct 12, 2021
and last updated 2021-10-12 18:08:39-04

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A Buffalo man has pleaded guilty to throwing a burning basket into Buffalo City Hall in May 2020.

The U.S. Attorney's Office announced Tuesday that 22-year-old Courtland Renford pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to rioting.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, on May 30, 2020 around 10:00 p.m. Renford was part of a large group who shattered the front door and entered the 7-Eleven store at Elmwood Avenue and Summer Street in Buffalo. Officials said Renford was one of the first to enter the store and was captured on surveillance footage.

Later that night around 11:25 p.m. the U.S. Attorney's Office said Renford threw a burning laundry basket into a broken window of Buffalo City Hall during a protest. A fire inside the building was extinguished by Buffalo firefighters and officials said the fire damaged and/or destroyed items in City Hall.

Renford is scheduled to be sentenced on December 17, the charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.