Pittsburgh man gets 1 year, 1 day in prison for throwing brick at police car during 2020 protest

A Pittsburgh man who threw a brick through a police cruiser window during protests last year was sentenced Wednesday to a year and a day behind bars.

George Allen, 33, of the city’s Sheraden neighborhood, also must spend three years on probation following his release from federal prison, U.S. Attorney Cindy K. Chung said.

Allen pleaded guilty in July to a charge of obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, after initially pleading not guilty upon his indictment, court records show.

He was among hundreds of people who converged on Downtown Pittsburgh on May 30, 2020, to protest the murder of George Floyd by a former Minneapolis police officer.

Allen was charged in July 2020, accused of throwing a brick through the window of a police vehicle from about 25 feet away. The brick smashed through the cruiser’s passenger window. An officer in the driver’s seat was sprayed with shattered glass, according to the charges, and a sergeant in the passenger seat was struck by the brick.

Based on federal sentencing guidelines, Allen had faced up to five years in prison.

U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Schwab permitted Allen to remain on bond and self-report to begin his 366-day prison sentence on Feb.1.