Man Accused Of Attacking Mounted Unit, Police Car During Downtown Riots Sentenced To Prison
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A man who allegedly wielded a traffic sign as he attacked Pittsburgh Police Mounted Patrol horses and a cop car during the riots downtown was sentenced to prison.
Raekwon Blankenship was sentenced Thursday morning to 2 1/2 to 5 years in the state penitentiary for his role in the protests that turned violent following George Floyd's death in May of 2020.
According to the criminal complaint, Blankenship used a traffic sign to hit a horse with the Pittsburgh Police Mounted Unit named Toby. He's accused of throwing the sign "in a javelin-type style," impaling a police car and cracking the front windshield as the officers inside escaped.
The criminal complaint also says video shows him jumping on the hood of an unmarked police car that was later torched.
In May he pleaded guilty to multiple counts, including aggravated assault on officers, criminal mischief, riot, propulsion of missiles into an occupied vehicle and illegally taunting a police animal.
He was also ordered to pay over $2,100 in restitution to cover the damage to the vehicles.
