FBI trying to identify man accused of defacing Pittsburgh buildings during protest

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is asking for the public’s help to identify a man who agents said spray-painted several buildings in Pittsburgh during a May 31 protest.

Investigators in Pittsburgh released images of the man Monday. He is suspected of spray-painting “Free Us” and “BLM” on the federal courthouse building on Grant Street. He was seen defacing other buildings in the area, agents said.

A reward of up to $2,500 is being offered for information about the man’s identity that leads to an arrest and conviction.

He was described by investigators as a tall black man who was wearing a red hooded Nike sweatshirt, a gray hat, black mask, black pants and red sneakers. Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI in Pittsburgh at 412-432-4000.

The man apparently took part in a peaceful protest Downtown to remember the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The group marched from Market Square to Grant Street near the City-County Building and around the federal building that afternoon.

They blocked the road, spray-painted the brick pavement and chanted against police brutality. Protests against racial injustice swept the nation following the death of Floyd, a black man killed May 25 when a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes as he was handcuffed and laying face down on the street during an arrest. Four officers have been charged in his death, which was ruled a homicide.