Parents say teens were hospitalized after being attacked during Light Up Night

PITTSBURGH — As thousands of people gathered to celebrate the start of the holiday season in Pittsburgh, chaos broke out.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> 3 people arrested, fights dispersed in Downtown Pittsburgh during Light Up Night

Police were forced to break up fights during Light Up Night, and now parents are telling Channel 11 teens were attacked and ended up in the hospital.

“You’re always going to find a few who are going to disrupt people’s happiness,” Denise McWilliams told Channel 11.

McWilliams stayed clear of Light Up Night this year, but she heard about the chaos that happened Downtown.

“I was hoping with all of the police and everything, Downtown and on horses, I was hoping everybody would be civil and have a nice time, but that’s not the case,” McWilliams said.

Cell phone video has been circulating on social media, showing dozens of officers on Liberty Avenue and teenagers running in the opposite direction.

According to Pittsburgh police, officers issued 18 citations, detained several people, and arrested three others.

One man was arrested for punching a police officer, and a detective wrote in the arrest paperwork: “there were hundreds, if not thousands, of chaotic civilians, and many threatened police and incited large fights.”

“They just need to quit it because when you get in trouble and you end up in jail or at a detention center, you’re going to be sitting there thinking, ‘why did I do that?’” McWilliams said.

Channel 11 talked to two mothers over the phone today, and each said their teenage daughters were taken to the hospital for concussions.

In one of the cases, police confirmed one of the victims reported being hit in the face with a sock that was loaded with a hard object. Four other teenagers were cited in that case.

Sources tell us that many of the people who were detained and cited were underage.

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