A large crowd then cheered.
City police Officer Brian Nicholas, of the SWAT team, described the scene yesterday at Mr. Weber's preliminary hearing in Pittsburgh Municipal Court.
District Judge James J. Hanley Jr. ordered Mr. Weber, 27, of New York City, to stand trial on charges of aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, propulsion of missiles and obstruction of highways.
Mr. Weber said he came to Pittsburgh to work as a freelance photographer during the G-20 summit, and he has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
On the evening of Sept. 24, according to Officer Nicholas, Mr. Weber was one of 300 to 500 people gathered near Schenley Plaza after police had issued a dispersal order using a portable loudspeaker.
Around 11 p.m., Officer Nicholas was sitting in the front passenger seat of an armored SWAT truck as it pulled up to Forbes Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard. Officer Chad O'Brien dropped a smoke grenade from the truck, about 15 feet from the crowd.
Officer Nicholas said Mr. Weber, wearing a black bicycle helmet and a black backpack, was the only person to emerge from the crowd, and he grabbed the grenade and threw it back, striking the SWAT truck.
"Then he celebrated with the crowd," Officer Nicholas said.
Officers Sean Rattigan and William Friburger ran after Mr. Weber and tackled him. He was taken into custody.
After yesterday's hearing, Mr. Weber declined to discuss his case with reporters. He is free on a $10,000 percentage bond and plans to return to New York.
Two other G-20 related hearings were postponed yesterday, and one defendant accepted a plea deal from prosecutors.
Kyle Gilgen, 18, of Raleigh, N.C., agreed to plead guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct and will pay $1,278 in fines and court costs.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Mr. Gilgen, clad in a black ski mask, threw a rock at the window of a P&W BMW dealership Sept. 24 in the 4800 block of Baum Boulevard along the Bloomfield/Oakland border. A dozen other people then joined him in attacking the dealership.
The incident was witnessed by Officer David Blahut.
In exchange for Mr. Gilgen's plea, prosecutors have agreed to drop charges of criminal mischief, obstruction of a highway and possessing the instruments of a crime.
Trevor Burgess, 30, was arrested the same day at Baum Boulevard and Cypress Street after throwing bricks and twice hitting Officer William Churilla.
Mr. Burgess then tried to run from police.
Mr. Burgess, who was released from jail on a $15,000 straight bond, has also been identified in court filings as John Doe and Mark Kerry of Philadelphia. He faces charges of inciting a riot, aggravated assault, failure to disperse and propulsion of missiles. His hearing date was pushed back to Oct. 21.
A hearing for Peter Rochat, 20, of Mendon, Mass., was rescheduled for Oct 23. He was apprehended in Oakland early Sept. 26 after he tried to get other protesters to help him free people who had been arrested during a large gathering at Schenley Plaza a few hours before.
"Let's go! Let's go. Band together!" he shouted, according to an affidavit. "[Expletive] these police. Let's get together and get these guys free."
As an officer tried to arrest Mr. Rochat, he pulled away several times. Officers then discovered that he was carrying a gas mask and a spray bottle with "noxious liquid."
Mr. Rochat is charged with inciting a riot, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, failure to disperse and possessing instruments of crime. He has been released from jail on a $10,000 straight bond.
Nearly 200 people were arrested during the summit, and more preliminary hearings are scheduled for Oct. 21 and 23.
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