Shamar Betts

Shamar Betts, 20

URBANA, Ill. (WAND) - A Champaign man who incited a riot at Market Place Mall in Champaign pleaded guilty to the crime in federal court. 

Shamar N. Betts, 20, entered his plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long. He admitted to his role in inciting a riot that started at the mall and ended up spreading to area businesses. 

Betts posted on Facebook at 10:31 a.m. on May 31 that included a flyer of a a stock image of a burning vehicle. It was overlaid with the message "RIOT @ MarketPlace Mall, Time: 3." It listed items to bring, including "friends, family, posters, bricks, bookbags, etc." 

Betts also had a post with the flyer, which in part said, "We gotta put Champaign/Urbana on the map - expletive - gone hear and fear us too. SLIDE let's get busy." 

Police responded to Market Place Mall before 3 p.m. to try and prevent a riot. About 50 to 75 people had already gathered, with the group continuing to grow. At about 3:12 p.m., the group started breaking out windows at mall businesses, including Old Navy and Macy's, and then began looting.

Video footage from the scene showed Betts leaving Old Navy holding clothing items. 

Betts used his phone to make and post a Facebook Live video, which shows him carrying clothing that has Old Navy takes. He repeatedly said "we out here" in the video. In another video, he walked by a bystander and said "I started this s***." Betts also used his phone to instigate others to join the riot as it happened or brag about starting it. 

In the riot, dozens of off-duty officers were called. There were multiple assaults of officers and intense confrontations with police by the group. The riot continued into the night and into the early morning of June 1. By the end, about 50 businesses in the area were vandalized and/or looted, including several small businesses that were set to reopen on June 1 after being closed during the pandemic. 

Betts admitted to fleeing to Mississippi after the riot and using his phone to search on the internet for "can police find your location by logging in messenger," "can police track your Facebook," and "what are charges for starting a riot." 

The U.S. Marshals Service Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested Betts in Mississippi on June 5. 

Betts face a statutory penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine of as much as $250,000 and three years of parole following the prison time for inciting a riot. He was remanded to Champaign County custody after pleading guilty, where he is held on related burglary charges. 

Sentencing is scheduled for June 14, 2021.Â