PITTSBURGH — Police have filed charges against multiple men and released new details about a situation where fireworks were thrown at police officers on Fourth of July weekend in Pittsburgh’s South Side.
11 Investigates obtained video showing fireworks being set off along busy East Carson Street early Saturday morning. People were running in front of cars and there were reports of shots fired.
Photos provided to Channel 11 show police officers forming a line and breaking up the crowd. Pittsburgh’s Citizen Police Review Board opened an inquiry into that process on Saturday to learn more.
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On Sunday, Pittsburgh Police released their report of what happened.
According to a public information officer, police were in the area of East Carson Street on the evening of the Fourth of July and into the early morning of July 5 for a “large and unruly crowd” gathering.
Officers heard shots fired in the area of the 1400 block of Sarah Street at around 1 a.m. on Saturday. A man was quickly detained and a firearm was recovered. Another man took off on foot away from police. No injuries or property damage were reported.
Charges were filed against Ronald Pelton, 23, of McKees Rocks for that incident. He faces charges of discharging a firearm, reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct, public drunkeness and possession of a weapon.
The situation continued when Pittsburgh Police began to disperse the remaining crowd. Police said this happened at 2 a.m. as part of a pre-established plan and that officers gave multiple warnings.
That was when, police say, some people in the crowd began throwing objects and launching fireworks at officers and police cruisers.
One officer was hit with a rock and two other officers suffered eye irritation from the fireworks debris.
Two men were arrested in relation to that situation: Delricco White, 20, of Duquesne and Kyliek McCracken, 18, of Ambridge.
Police said they saw White throwing fireworks at police. He is charged with aggravated assault, possessing instruments of crime, recklessly endangering another person, propulsion of missiles, evading arrest on foot and disorderly conduct.
McCracken was seen running with White. He is charged with criminal conspiracy, disorderly conduct and evading arrest.
Police said inert/vapor smoke and OC spray, also known as pepper spray, were used on the crowd after people began throwing things at officers.
In addition to the unruly crowd, three other arrests were made, seven non-traffic citations were issued and two guns were found.
The crowd was fully dispersed at 3 a.m.
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