Morning Roundup: Police sergeant suspended after shoving man, mounted patrols to return to Montour Trail
Here are some of the latest news items happening this morning, Wednesday, June 18:
Ellwood City police sergeant suspended after shoving man at Sheetz
The Ellwood City Borough Council voted unanimously to suspend and demote Sgt. Robert Magnifico after he shoved a man at Sheetz in June.
The decision comes after a video circulated on social media showing the officer forcibly shoving a man to the ground around 1 a.m. on June 6 at the Sheetz on Fifth Street in Ellwood City, TribLive news partner WTAE reported.
Ellwood City Mayor Anthony Court said Magnifico has been suspended 10 days without pay, demoted from sergeant to patrolman and required to complete courses on anger management and de-escalation within the next six months.
It is still unclear on what led up to the incident, WTAE said.
Mounted patrols will return to Montour Trail
Along the Montour Trail in Moon Township, police are adding mounted patrol officers starting on the Fourth of July.
TribLive news partner WTAE reported the patrols will cover several miles, with the goal of deterring crime and providing direct assistance to trail users.
In October, Liquor Control Officer Benjamin Brailler was stabbed and killed along the Montour Trail.
Lt. Shener Ulke said the effort has been in the works for more than two years, according to WTAE.
“Our Montour Trail Network that goes through Moon Township is wildly popular with bikers, runners, and walkers down there all the time. So, we wanted to get our folks down there and in that mix,” Ulke told WTAE Tuesday.
1 person hospitalized after incident in Downtown Pittsburgh
An incident in Downtown Pittsburgh Wednesday morning sent one person to the hospital.
There was a police presence on Smithfield Street and Liberty Avenue, TribLive news partner WTAE reported, and the person was taken to the hospital just after 5 a.m.
WTAE’s crew said it saw several evidence markers laid out in front of the Arcade Comedy Theatre at 943 Liberty Ave.
Megan Swift is a TribLive reporter covering trending news in Western Pennsylvania. A Murrysville native, she joined the Trib full time in 2023 after serving as editor-in-chief of The Daily Collegian at Penn State. She previously worked as a Jim Borden Scholarship intern at the Trib for three summers. She can be reached at mswift@triblive.com.
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