In a volatile clash between Donald Trump supporters and protesters in Pennsylvania Wednesday, a Pittsburgh police officer was caught on video shoving a news reporter, sending her sprawling to the ground.
But even though Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said he was concerned about the incident, the department’s police chief says he sees nothing inappropriate about the incident.
According to a statement issued by Pittsburgh Police Chief Cameron McLay earlier today:
“Based on this short video clip, we cannot provide context as to whether or not this officer was inappropriate while trying to move through the crowd at the time of the incident; however, there appears to be no immediate concerns of misconduct,” McLay said in a written statement. “While it is regrettable, the context of the situation will need to be determined before we can draw any conclusions. We will continue to look into this incident to determine the environment at the time of the video and the appropriateness of the conduct by the officer.”
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter Megan Guza was covering the campaign rally at the Pittsburgh Convention Center when the police officer appeared out of nowhere and pushed her to the ground. The assault caused Guza to bleed slightly. Guza did nothing to provoke the unidentified officer.
After the video surfaced, Mayor Peduto tweeted that he is in contact with the Police Chief, and that Guza will get a call sometime Thursday morning.
In a later tweet, the mayor stated the following: “Thank you Public Safety, especially Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, on your professionalism yesterday in protecting people & their rights.”
Apparently, the scene was chaotic, as two police officers were pepper sprayed by random protesters.
But all the madness was overshadowed by Donald Trump taking the stage in Pittsburgh and asking, “How’s Joe Paterno,” referring to the long-time football coach at Penn State who died in 2012.
The post Pittsburgh Police Officer Assaults Tribune-Review Reporter Outside Trump Rally appeared first on PINAC News.