Everett man sentenced to prison for stealing police rifle during downtown Seattle protest

SEATTLE — A 26-year-old Everett man was sentenced to 16 months in prison Friday for taking a high-powered rifle from a police vehicle during a protest in downtown Seattle in May 2020.

Jacob D. Little was sentenced in U.S. District Court for possession of a stolen firearm. U.S. Attorney Nick Brown said after stealing the gun, Little quickly sold it on social media calling it an action that "put the community at risk."

According to court documents, surveillance photos show Little taking a large bag with the Colt M4 rifle and suppressor out of a Seattle Police Department vehicle parked outside the downtown Seattle Nordstrom on May 30, 2020.

During the protest, several police vehicles were also damaged.

Following the theft, electronic messages obtained by law enforcement show Little negotiating the sale of the firearm adding that he had removed the sling, suppressor, and red dot from the rifle. All of those accessories were present on the rifle when it was stolen from the police vehicle.

At the sentencing hearing on Friday Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Crisham said that Little was "one of a handful of people who hijacked the peaceful protest and made it dangerous.” He then sold the gun to an acquaintance who he knew had mental health issues. Police recovered the gun after the buyer, a Snohomish County resident, used it to threaten his girlfriend.

Little has also been charged with second-degree murder and assault in connection to a shooting in Renton.

According to court documents Little was allegedly involved in a shooting on Aug. 30, 2020, in the parking lot of the Uwajimaya grocery store in Renton. He reportedly fired multiple shots into the air when fights broke out at a gathering of over 200 car enthusiasts.

The U.S. Attorney's office said he will be transferred to state custody to face those charges in King County Superior Court.