OAKLAND, Calif. — Casey R. Goonan, 35, has been sentenced to 235 months in federal prison following a series of arson attacks in June 2024, targeting a University of California Berkeley police car and attempting to firebomb a federal building in Oakland. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California announced the sentence on Tuesday.
Goonan pleaded guilty to a federal arson charge in January.
Details of UC Berkeley Police Car Bombing
According to court documents, in the early hours of June 1, 2024, Goonan placed a bag containing six Molotov cocktails under the fuel tank of a marked UC Police Department patrol car parked near the UC Berkeley campus. After lighting the bag on fire, he fled the scene, resulting in the patrol car being engulfed in flames. Security footage captured the entire incident.
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Just days later, on June 11, Goonan attempted another attack at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland. Armed with a bag of three Molotov cocktails, Goonan threw rocks at the building, intending to break a window to hurl the explosives inside. His plan was foiled by protective services officers, prompting Goonan to place the Molotov cocktails in a planter and ignite them before fleeing.
Aside from these incidents, Goonan was responsible for setting multiple other fires on the UC Berkeley campus on June 1, June 13, and June 16, 2024.
Defense Attorneys Dispute Goonan ‘Domestic Terrorist’ Characterization by Prosecutors
U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian’s office stated that Goonan’s actions were inspired by Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. However, Goonan’s legal team refuted this claim, attributing his actions to a decline in mental health and advocating for a sentence of eight years or less, reports Berkleyside.
In addition to the prison term, Goonan will serve 15 years of supervised release upon his release. He is also mandated to pay $94,267.51 in restitution and a $100 special assessment.
