A South Side Slopes man with a history of mental illness and suicide attempts will spend a year and a half in federal prison for hurling rocks at cops during the George Floyd protests in Downtown Pittsburgh in May 2020.
U.S. District Judge Arthur Schwab imposed that term Thursday on Jordan Coyne, 26, who had pleaded guilty in March. The judge said Coyne could remain free on bond until his self-report date of March 10.
The 18-month prison term was agreed upon by both parties as part of a plea deal.
On May 30, 2020, Coyne threw pieces of concrete at an occupied police vehicle during the protests over Floyd’s death at the hands of police in Minneapolis. The rock cracked the vehicle’s windshield. He threw another chunk at the rear window of a police vehicle and shattered it, then started striking the tail light of an unmarked police vehicle, which other protesters then lit on fire.
Video also captured Coyne throwing a tear gas canister at police and hitting an officer in the hand, injuring his thumb.
William McCabe, Coyne’s lawyer, said the 18 months is appropriate. He said his client grew up in tough circumstances as the son of a drug-addicted abusive father and an alcoholic mother. He had been committed to a psychiatric hospital in 2010 for suicidal thoughts and again in 2011 after running away. He attempted suicide in 2014 and had been in and out of treatment after that, McCabe said.
After he pleaded guilty in the federal case, Coyne’s condition worsened. He tried to kill himself in June and was hospitalized again. McCabe said Coyne continues to struggle with his mental health.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Lusty said that while sentencing guidelines call for 27 to 33 months behind bars, the parties worked out the 18-month term in consideration of the other seven people charged federally in the riot.
In addition to the prison time, Coyne will be on probation for three years.
Torsten covers the courts for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Reach him at jtorsteno@gmail.com.
