Man charged in burning of police vehicle at protest

A Pittsburgh man was arrested Tuesday on federal arson charges after he allegedly set fire to an unmarked police car during a protest on May 30.

Authorities allege Devin Montgomery, 24, and an unidentified individual burned the vehicle outside PPG Paints Arena during a protest against police brutality.

The protest began with about 1,000 people marching to honor George Floyd, who was killed in police custody in Minneapolis.

As a smaller crowd marched down Washington Place toward Fifth Avenue, it was met with a line of Pittsburgh police officers in riot gear, according to a criminal complaint.

The unmarked car was parked alongside several marked police cars on Washington Place. The officers “chose to leave the area rather than engage in a physical confrontation with such a large crowd,” the complaint reads. After police drove away, the unmarked vehicle was the only one left. Earlier in the protest, a marked car was burned.

In the later incident, footage showed the crowd move down Washington Place toward Fifth, and “numerous” individuals began to attack the vehicle, the complaint reads. Authorities identified Mr. Montgomery as a man wearing an Antonio Brown Steelers jersey, light blue jeans, a black bandana face mask and a black beanie.

Mr. Montgomery is seen opening the rear passenger door. Then, along with an unidentified individual dressed in black, he is seen igniting an item in his hand. Seconds later, the pair throw the items into the car and a fire starts, the complaint reads.

After police posted photos on social media and asked the public to help identify the individual in the jersey, two tipsters said the man was Mr. Montgomery.

In late June, the residence of a “possible girlfriend” of Mr. Montgomery, in the Hill District, was put under surveillance by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the complaint says. The agents saw Mr. Montgomery and identified a circular, black tattoo on his left elbow matching the tattoo shown in images from the protest.

“Setting a police car on fire is a federal crime, and one that we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law,” U.S. Attorney Scott Brady wrote in a release. “This is part of our commitment to protect First Amendment rights. Peaceful protesters embody those rights and have the full protections of federal law. The people who choose to disrupt those protests with violence and destruction will face prosecution.”

Mr. Montgomery was arrested Tuesday and charged with malicious destruction of property using fire or explosives.