Shaler man accused of destroying Pittsburgh police SUV pleads not guilty to federal charges

A Shaler man accused of sparking violence at a peaceful protest last month in Downtown Pittsburgh pleaded not guilty to federal charges Tuesday morning.

Brian Bartels, 20, faces federal charges of obstruction of justice during civil disorder as well as criminal charges filed by the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office related to the same incident.

The four-minute hearing took place via video conference, according to court records. Entering a plea of “not guilty” at arraignment is standard in most criminal cases, and it allowed Bartels and his attorney to request a jury trial.

A trial date has not yet been scheduled.

Authorities say Bartels was caught on camera initiating the destruction of a marked Pittsburgh Police SUV on Centre Avenue in front of PPG Paints Arena during protests May 30. The protests, which have continued since then, stem from the Memorial Day killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, leading to continued calls for police and justice reform.

Bartels told authorities in an interview that he is “fed up” with incidents involving undue force by police, according to the complaint against him.

“He explained that he had hoped that he would be able to change things through voting, but nothing changed,” authorities wrote. “Bartels described the moment he decided to spray paint and destroy the police vehicle as a ‘(expletive) it’ moment for him.”

Joseph Otte, Bartels’ attorney in both the federal and state cases, declined comment.

Pittsburgh Police identified and began looking for Bartels the day after the protests. He turned himself in to city police on June 2 and was later released on $10,000 bond. The federal criminal complaint against him was filed June 5, and a grand jury returned an indictment the following week. He posted $10,000 bond on the federal charges as well.