Pittsburgh man charged in group assault of homeless man in Market Square

A Pittsburgh man who, police said, was part of a group of attackers who pummeled and kicked a homeless man during a weekday afternoon last month in Market Square remained in jail Saturday.

David Rivera, 18, of the city’s Windgap neighborhood, was one of several men who swarmed Dajuan Davis and repeatedly punched and kicked him around 4 p.m. on Feb. 23 in the busy Downtown plaza, according to a criminal complaint.

The brutal attack, which sent Davis to the hospital, was captured on video that was provided to city police.

Rivera, who is charged with aggravated assault, was arraigned late Friday and held at Allegheny County Jail on $100,000 bail, court records show. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 8.

Rivera surrendered Friday morning at the Municipal Courts Building, Downtown, to deputies with the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office.

Rivera’s attorney was not listed in the court record.

It was unclear what triggered the incident.

Police were dispatched that day to Graeme Street on the square’s northwest corner for reports of a large fight.

Officers encountered Davis, who they recognized. He was shirtless, confused and bruised. Davis told police that he had just been attacked.

Gage Shadley, who works at Barcadia on Market Square, told officers that he had heard a commotion outside and witnessed the beating, which he recorded.

Police reviewed the video, which showed about six males, some with their faces covered by masks or hoods, attacking Davis.

Video clips obtained from Shadley by TribLive, shows multiple attackers punching Davis until he falls to the ground. One man then begins to stomp on Davis’ head while others strike him.

The assailant later — identified as Rivera — punched and kicked Davis, police said. An unidentified man climbed on top of Davis and hit him 15 to 20 times, according to the complaint.

Rivera then kicked Davis in the face, police said.

Officers searched the area and spotted Rivera at Market Street and Liberty Avenue.

He ran away, but officers chased him into the city’s Oliver Garage at Oliver Avenue and Smithfield Street, where they detained him.

Police let Rivera go, however, when they couldn’t find Davis.

About five minutes later, officers came across Davis unconscious outside a CVS on Forbes Avenue just outside of Market Square.

Medics took Davis to UPMC Mercy hospital.

Cara Cruz, a police spokeswoman, said Friday that she did not have information on Davis’ condition.

Cruz said the investigation into the other attackers is “very active.”

Shadley told TribLive on Friday that when he heard shouts and saw the violence unfolding outside, he began recording.

“Honestly, it’s kind of become a norm,” Shadley, 28, of Beaver Falls, said of the violence. “I see it on a regular basis.”

In the last week or so, Shadley said, he’s seen at least one other person get jumped and a fight break out in Market Square.

“I’m getting numb to it at this point,” he said.

Shadley said he saw a few people step in to try to break up the fight when Davis was attacked.

The attackers, however, started to turn on the people who were intervening, and they backed away, he said. There were a “decent amount of people” in the area during the incident.

“There’s a couple cops that will stand around Market Square a little bit, but as soon as they’re gone, it’s flooded with situations like that,” he said.

Staff writer Julia Felton contributed to this report.