NEW YORK (PIX11) — The Connecticut man who’s accused of making molotov cocktails with the intention of “hurting the police” is currently unfit to stand trial, District Judge Brian Cogan determined.
Dr. Dawn Graney determined the defendant, Lionel Virgile, is suffering from a mental illness “rendering him mentally incompetent” to assist his defense. Cogan endorsed that finding, according to a court filing Friday.
As part of the endorsement, Cogan is recommending that Virgile be housed at the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Federal Medical Center for a maximum of four months. Afterward, the court will reassess his ability to stand trial.
Virgile is accused of throwing a chemical in an officer’s face and launching a molotov cocktail at a police vehicle in Brooklyn.
After his arrest, Virgile admitted to throwing bleach at the officer and hurling the Molotov cocktail at the police vehicle, court documents showed.
He told investigators he bought materials to make the Molotov cocktails about two weeks ago because he wanted to “hurt the police,” according to court documents. Virgile also said he knew the Molotov cocktail could “spark a fire” when he threw it and that he had watched YouTube videos about explosives, the documents showed.
