On June 1, 2020, during a riot that erupted after a peaceful Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest in Naperville, 27-year-old Diego Vargas of Aurora threw a lit explosive device through the window of Egg Harbor Cafe in Naperville, resulting in two explosions. The restaurant was closed at the time and no injuries were reported.
In addition to the restaurant incident, Vargas on the previous night tried to steal cash from an ATM in Aurora. Vargas struck the ATM with a baseball bat and a metal pole from a street sign in an unsuccessful attempt to pry it open.
U.S. District Judge Elaine E. Bucklo imposed a five-year prison sentence on Vargas Thursday after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.
The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The Naperville Police Department and Aurora Police Department assisted in the investigation.
The incident was typical of many public disturbances following peaceful BLM protests at the time. Once the protests were over and night fell, vandalism and theft would often ensue. Many believe that the unlawful activity that followed BLM marches had nothing to so with the movement, but were instead the result of outside forces and common criminals who took advantage of the situation in pursuit of their own interests.
