Possible shooting outside Pittsburgh school thwarted with help of alert citizens, police say
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Pittsburgh police said a possible shooting outside a school was thwarted thanks to alert citizens.
Pittsburgh police said they were called to Westinghouse Academy around dismissal time on Sept. 15 after a bus driver and concerned parent reported seeing a grey SUV circling the area with at least three people inside wearing masks.
About 20 minutes later, police said officers saw a vehicle matching that description on North Murtland Street speeding and recklessly driving as students walked through the streets.
Police said they tried to pull the vehicle over on Frankstown Avenue between La Schall Street and North Dallas Avenue but the driver didn't stop until he reached Washington Boulevard.
Officers ordered the driver to put the vehicle in park and throw the keys out the window. Three boys ages 12, 13 and 16 were detained and searched for weapons, police said.
During a search of the vehicle, police said they learned it had been stolen. There was a firearm and spent shell casing inside, police said. In the trunk, police said officers found a gas canister and a large cloth wick -- incendiary materials that are often used to burn vehicles that are stolen or used in violent crimes.
Police said three teenage boys were taken in for questioning. Two were arrested and charged with multiple counts, including receiving stolen property, firearms not to be carried without a license, driving without a license, incendiary devices and reckless driving. The third was released into the custody of a guardian. All of the boys are from Pittsburgh, but they are not students at Westinghouse.
"I am certain that the officers' actions, the community's response to suspicious behavior thwarted another school shooting in the city of Pittsburgh, specifically at Westinghouse," Pittsburgh Police Chief Larry Scirotto said.
Police acknowledged the "quick actions" of the bus driver and concerned parent who reported the suspicious activity and said it's "very likely" they prevented a crime.
"I just want to say thank you to the community members who stood up for our children, the life and the families in our neighborhood," Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said. "I just want to say thank you. Because this is what we've been talking about -- being able to work together to save our children, to save our neighborhoods and to save our community."
City leaders hope this serves as an example about what it means to speak up.
"At the end of the day, we were able to save lives," Gainey said.
Earlier this year, four students were shot outside Westinghouse Academy. Three 15-year-olds and a 17-year-old were shot and suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
