PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh police have denied allegations that a grandmother was hit by an officer using a Taser gun on an 18-year-old man, who police said became violent and resisted arrest.
Dozens of children were playing in water squirting from a broken fire hydrant along East Hills Drive on Saturday. Firefighters were called to fix the hydrant and security officers told the youngsters to leave so the hydrant could be repaired.
Witnesses told Channel 4 Action News that the situation escalated when the kids and the guards began arguing. Investigators said people began throwing rocks and someone assaulted a security guard.
Police were called to the scene as the security guards and a couple of teenagers continued to exchange words. Security guards sprayed the crowd with pepper spray, police said.
"I had tossed water on him and he grabbed my arm," said Nadon Estes.
Pittsburgh Deputy Police Chief Paul Donaldson said on Monday that officers used a Taser gun on Gary Cain, 18, and not Ernestine Whitehead, 54. Police said Cain became violent and punched officers.
"He was resisting and the officer did Tase (sic) him a number of times, but we have no reports of a woman being Tased (sic) by any of our officers," said Donaldson, who said the officers acted appropriately.
"I don't know what it feels like to be Tased," said Whitehead, who said she fainted and blacked out. "But I know that I did go out. I did fall down."
WTAE Channel 4's Shannon Perrine reported that some residents were concerned when police officers pointed Taser guns at others, including children. Donaldson said there was no risk of accidental firing.
"It was a contact Tase (sic) where the officer actually took physical hold of him and took the Taser and touched him with the Taser," Donaldson said.
Witnesses told Action News that an officer used a Taser gun on Whitehead while she was asking officers why her son had been taken into custody.
"I don't remember being Tased (sic). I remember being pushed by the security officer. I remember going down. I remember a Pittsburgh police officer trying to help me get up," Whitehead told Action News.
Relatives said Whitehead suffers from a heart condition and asthma, and had recently been released from a hospital before Sunday's incident.
Many witnesses said Whitehead is considered the matriarch of the East Hills community. Family members said she suffered seizures. Whitehead was transported to a Pittsburgh hospital and has since been released.
"It's scary because we got the cops to protect us and they're against us," said Chemere Estes, a witness. "Ain't nobody going to swing and punch at no police. We're not stupid. They try and make it out like we're animals. Ain't nobody doing anything."
Police arrested Cain and charged him with aggravated assault and other charges. Police also arrested four juveniles.
Channel 4 Action News tried to contact the security company, but it had no comment.
Donaldson said police often see "potentially volatile" situations involving fire hydrants in summer. People sometimes turn hydrants on to cool off, but Donaldson said they must be turned off to make sure there will be enough water pressure in case of a fire.
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