Pittsburgh police, other law enforcement agencies called to disperse large crowd on South Side
Pittsburgh police say they had to call in extra help from neighboring law enforcement agencies early Sunday morning to safely disperse a large crowd of people who had gathered on East Carson Street.
No one was injured and no property was damaged, but before that, the South Side Entertainment Patrol made several arrests. Some were gun-related, others had to do with fights.
Citations were given for public intoxication, underage drinking, and public urination.
Big crowds on East Carson are nothing new at 2 a.m. for South Side neighbors.
"I didn't bat an eyebrow about it," a resident who goes by Vinny said.
Vinny says the crowds pick up each weekend after he and most others are already asleep, around the time bars close up.
"It happens because everyone is intoxicated, everyone's drinking," he added.
In Sunday's case, police had to call in help from surrounding departments to clear out what they estimated was a crowd of 1,500 to 2,000 people, with some of them fighting each other. Once help from other departments arrived, police were able to quickly clear the crowd, a statement from Pittsburgh Public Safety said.
"It's a shame because this has been going on for five years. We know where and when it's happening, and the city can't stop it," said business owner Rich Cupka. "We have a lack of police. We're 150, 200 short."
Cupka says the fact that the police couldn't clear the crowd on their own proves his point.
"Law and order would take over if you had enough police to police the area," Cupka added.
Then-Police Chief Larry Scirroto said in September 2024 that the problem on the South Side isn't due to a lack of officers, but rather bars aren't being held accountable.
"I'm thankful that we have a level of cooperation to hold problematic business owners accountable," Scirotto said in September. "For far too long, some of the businesses over there, and there are just a few to be quite honest, that operate in a manner that they don't take accountability for the actions and behavior of their patrons, as if once those individuals get outside, it's the responsibility of the police and not the responsibility of the bar ownership to regulate the type of client they solicit and more importantly, their behavior."
Cupka disagrees, saying that while certain bars are an issue, the lack of police is the main problem.
"I don't see any relief in sight," Cupka said.
On the weekends, 25 police officers are assigned to the South Side in addition to the 10 that are part of the Entertainment Patrol.
Business owners say overall crime on the South Side is down, and Vinny believes the unfortunate reality is that the South Side has gotten a bad rap.
"Everybody just have a drink. Come to the South Side. It's all good down here," he said, adding that visitors shouldn't let what happens late at night keep them from visiting.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
A weakened Iran could turn to assassination and terrorism to strike back
The last time the United States carried out a major strike against Iran — killing the leader of the country's elite Quds Force five years ago — the response from the Islamic republic seemed oddly subdued, at least initially.
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
How charges against Diddy stack up to testimony in the government's case
After six weeks, 34 witnesses and hundreds of bottles of baby oil presented as evidence, the government is about to rest its case in Sean 'Diddy' Combs's federal sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial. Prosecutors called to the stand Combs's former girlfriends, assistants, recording artists, stylists, hotel workers and federal agents to testify about crimes they allege Combs and a small, trusted inner circle orchestrated, executed and covered up, including sex trafficking, arson, bribery, kidnapping, illicit drug use and physical abuse. To help prove the government's case, some witnesses, most of them former Combs employees, were given immunity in exchange for their honest testimony.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Olympic sprint finalist Knighton at sports court for appeals in doping contamination case
FILE - Erriyon Knighton, of the United States, reacts following his men's 200-meter semifinal at the 2024 Summer Olympics, on Aug. 7, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File) LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — United States sprinter Erriyon Knighton went to court Monday to defend his claim he was contaminated in a positive doping test case that risks a ban from the next world championships. A two-time Olympic finalist in the 200 meters aged just 21, Knighton was cleared to run at the Paris Summer Games last year only after an American tribunal ruled he was not at fault for the positive test for trenbolone, a steroid used in livestock farming. Advertisement The World Anti-Doping Agency and track and field's Athletics Integrity Unit have challenged that ruling in combined appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. CAS has scheduled the appeal hearing for two days and said a verdict is likely within several weeks. The U.S. track and field national championships start July 31 in Eugene, Oregon. They are trials to pick the U.S. team for the 2025 worlds that open Sept. 13 in Tokyo. Knighton's attorney Howard Jacobs suggested last year Knighton could be 'collateral damage' in an ongoing feud between WADA and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, fueled by how a case of alleged contamination of Chinese Olympic swimmers was handled by the global watchdog. Advertisement USADA prosecuted Knighton's original case after he tested positive in March last year and accepted the 'no-fault' ruling based on the explanation the contamination was by oxtail from a bakery in central Florida. The USADA investigation included obtaining the meat and testing it, plus interviews with the manager of the bakery, Knighton, his girlfriend and his mother. They backed up the athlete's claim of contamination. In the Chinese case, an explanation of contamination with a banned heart medication in a hotel kitchen in 2021 was accepted without evidence backing the theory. WADA lawyers and officials decided the agency was unlikely to win any appeals brought to CAS without being able to gather independent evidence in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. Knighton is the sixth-fastest 200 runner in track history with a personal best time of 19.49 seconds set in 2022. Usain Bolt's world record is 19.19. He placed fourth in the 200 at past two Olympic Games, and took one silver medal and one bronze from the past two editions of worlds. ___ AP Olympics:
