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VCU Police say Chester men busted windows on state-owned vehicles during May protests

Devon Atkins and Del'Shon Bell were reportedly spotted breaking the windshield on a car in a VCU lot; police linked them to eight other vandalisms

Bill Atkinson
The Progress-Index
Devon Atkins, left, and Del'Shon Bell, both face felony charges for allegedly breaking windows on state vehicles in a VCU parking lot.

RICHMOND — Two Chester men have been arrested after authorities claim they busted windshields and windows on nine state-owned vehicles during last May's protests in downtown Richmond.

Devon Atkins and Del'Shon Bell, both 20, each face one count of felonious destruction of property, according to an alert issued by Virginia Commonwealth University Police. The alert states that a VCU Police officer saw the two men bust the windshield of a state vehicle parked in a VCU lot on May 30, a time when protests against the death of a Black man in Minnesota police custody turned aggressive.

"Upon inspection of other vehicles in the lot, located in the 700 block of W. Broad St., the officer also found damage to eight additional state vehicles," the alert said. "Damages to all vehicles included broken windshields and broken windows."

Further investigation led to the arrests of Atkins and Bell. Atkins' Facebook page lists him as a VCU student, but police said he no longer is enrolled there. Bell has no ties to the university, police said.

Bond information was not immediately available.

You can reach Bill Atkinson at batkinson@progress-index.com. Follow him at @BAtkinson_PI. Follow The Progress-Index on Twitter at @ProgressIndex.

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