Whitehall Man Arrested For Causing Pittsburgh Protest Damage

WHITEHALL, PA — A Whitehall man has been arrested for allegedly causing damage during the May 30 George Floyd demonstration in Downtown Pittsburgh. Shaheed Hatch, 26, has been charged with rioting, causing or risking a catastrophe, theft and institutional vandalism.

Hatch was arrested after police received multiple tips that led them to an Instagram photo allegedly showing him wearing an orange Pittsburgh police vest backwards while holding a stop sign.

According to police, social media streams also showed Hatch grabbing a construction sign and used it to smash an unmarked police car's windows.

Police said Hatch also was observed on social media feeds grabbing a container of yellow liquid and pouring the liquid onto a rag near the tailpipe of a police cruiser that was set on fire.

The peaceful protest of the death of Floyd, an unarmed black man being taken into custody by Minneapolis police officers, turned violent at its conclusion.