Incident with police, girl on West Mifflin bus elicits local anger

Several parents and community members spoke at a West Mifflin Area school board meeting Thursday, concerned over a Dec. 18 altercation involving two police officers and a 15-yearold girl.

The incident was captured on cellphone video and shows West Mifflin Police Sgt. Christopher Mordaunt and Officer Tommy Trieu in an altercation with the girl.

Two residents spoke on the matter at the meeting, including a former West Mifflin Area school board member.

“I only became aware of this situation yesterday” after reading news reports, said former board member Janice Gladden.

“It hurts to see the police and one of our students in a violent news story,” she said, adding she was “concerned about the severe emotional and traumatic impact” that all of the students on the bus had.

She called on the police officers to have “more patience” and recognize the age, weight and size of the individual they are encountering.

“The kids on the bus shouldn’t be allowed on the bus anymore,” said resident Bill Bennett, who told the board, “It’s not up to you guys to teach kids how to act around police. It’s the parents.”

Representatives from several groups attended the meeting but could not speak because they were not district residents.

Brandi Fisher of the Alliance for Police Accountability said the bottom line is student safety.

“They cannot continue to say police officers are above the law,” she said. “This is why police officers should not interact with youth.

“She was well within her right to ask him not to touch her body,” Ms. Fisher said of the 15-year-old girl.

“The police are the ones to serve and protect the community. A grown man has no right to put hands on a young female,” said Will Anderson of the Black Political Empowerment Project.

“There’s no respect for African Americans of any age,” Mr. Anderson added. “When we come to meetings to voice our concerns, we are ignored.”

V. Fawn Walker-Montgomery of Take Action Mon Valley added that the girl is a “budding entrepreneur” and takes honors classes at Steel Center technical school.

Ms. Walker-Montgomery said Take Action Mon Valley wants to see the two officers who were involved in the incident to be dismissed from their jobs and wants charges filed against them.

At a Tuesday West Mifflin Borough Council meeting, borough solicitor Phil DiLucente said the officers did not do anything improper and that the case was being looked at by outside agencies. He could not comment any further until the investigation was completed.

The school board did not comment on the matter.