Police putting more officers at Squirrel Hill bus stop after student fight
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A fight this week at a Squirrel Hill bus stop has Pittsburgh police saying enough is enough.
That fight led to officers deploying their tasers. Two juveniles were hit and sent to the hospital along with an officer. Now charges are pending against the teenagers.
In the immediate aftermath, police are putting officers at the bus stop to make sure everything stays orderly. For the long term, they want to work with the community to keep everyone safe.
It was Tuesday when the fight broke after students got out of class at Taylor Allderdice. Business owners nearby say that was a new level of chaos, but they are used to dealing with rowdiness.
"It's pretty much expected: the hours of 2 and 3 p.m., avoid the Starbucks area at all costs unless you really need to be there," Squirrel Hill Market Owner Alyssa Fine said.
Fine owns two stores up the street and says over the past year, it is routinely unorderly at the bus stop. According to her, kids will not let pedestrians through, will litter and she can smell some smoking marijuana.
"The longer they're here, the more opportunity there is to get a little rowdy," Fine said.
Pittsburgh police said in the past year they've had 88 calls for service at the address and 36 have been calls complaining about the students.
"Juveniles being disorderly, fights, harassments, disorderly persons," Pittsburgh Police Assistant Chief Linda Barone said.
Police said kids will be kids but there needs to be some order. For the past couple of days, they have put officers at the bus stop. Other areas with issues have been downtown where students have to take PRT buses.
"It's just not a police problem. It's everyone's problem," Barone said.
Officers are working with the PRT and school system to create a safer environment for students. They are using their reach team to connect with kids and reduce the complaints.
"They see mentors, people from their neighborhood they know. They engage with them on a different level then police are able to engage with them on," Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt said.
According to the PRT, they work to provide a police presence in key areas, but with limited resources, they rely heavily on Pittsburgh police and school police to keep everyone safe.
Pittsburgh Public Schools released this statement:
"We take responsibility for our students, their education, and their safety and look to our community to serve as consistent partners in embracing students as they grow and develop into adulthood. We, as a community, share the responsibility of our students before and after school, and PPS believes in the power of the village. We invite all to our village as we continue to work with our city, community partners, outreach programs, citizens, and City Police to mentor, support and provide guidance to our students and families in Pittsburgh."
