Pittsburgh Man Pleads Guilty In George Floyd Protest Incident

Pittsburgh PA

22 July, 2021

2:37 PM

Description

PITTSBURGH, PA — A city man who participated in a Downtown Pittsburgh protest that turned violent last year faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder. George Allen, 32, entered the plea Thursday. According to acting U.S. Attorney Stephen Kaufman's office, during the May 30, 2020 demonstration Allen threw a piece of concrete at an occupied Pittsburgh police vehicle. The concrete broke a passenger window and struck an officer, resulting in minor bruising. Allen will be sentenced on Nov. 10. In addition to his potential prison term, he faces a fine of as much as $250,000. Allen was among those protesting the May 25, 2020 death of George Floyd, a black man who died while being taken into custody by white police officers in Milwaukee. Floyd's death led to nationwide protests against police brutality and racism and sparked the Black Lives Matter movement. Derek Chauvin, the officer who kept his knee on Floyd's neck despite Floyd's repeated assertions that he could not breathe, was convicted of third-degree murder and other charges and sentenced to more than 22 years in prison. Be the first to know what's happening in your community and region. With a free Patch subscription, you'll always be up to date on local and state news: https://patch.com/subscribe.