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3 charged for involvement in confrontations at Pittsburgh restaurants during protest

PITTSBURGH — Three people are facing charges for their involvement in confrontations caught on video at Pittsburgh restaurants during a protest over the Labor Day weekend.

Charges were filed Monday against Shawn Green, who goes by Lorenzo Rulli, as well as Kenneth McDowell and Monique Craft.

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One of the incidents occurred in front of Sienna Mercato on Penn Avenue. A social media video showed Black Lives Matter protesters yelling and cursing at people eating outside the restaurant. One woman walked up to a table and drank someone’s drink while several other people smashed glasses on the ground.

In another video, demonstrators became aggressive toward a manager inside a McDonald’s restaurant.

>>PREVIOUS STORY: ‘Unacceptable’: Pittsburgh police, public safety issue statement as investigation into weekend protests continues

According to a criminal complaint, McDowell used a megaphone to scream obscenities at diners sitting outside Sienna Mercato. He was also identified as the person who got into an altercation with the McDonald’s employee.

Green, according to the complaint, swore at diners, specifically an elderly couple, and gave them the middle finger. He also walked up to the front of the restaurant and screamed into an open window.

Craft admitted that she chugged the couple’s beer, the complaint stated.

Police specified that the diners did not appear to be engaging with the protesters.

McDowell’s charges include possessing instruments of crime, disorderly conduct and harassment. Green’s include disorderly conduct and criminal mischief. Craft’s include theft by unlawful taking and disorderly conduct.

>>RELATED STORY: Activists say actions of protesters captured in viral videos does not represent justice movement