Suspect in Monroeville Mall melee arrested on drug charge

A McKeesport man who was charged in a clash between rival gangs in April at Monroeville Mall was arrested Tuesday after police say he was found with about 750 bags of heroin.

Brandon Murphy, 24, was charged by state police with drug possession with intent to deliver. He had previously been charged with riot, simple assault and disorderly conduct in the incident at the mall, but he had not been taken into custody.

According to a criminal complaint obtained by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette news partner KDKA-TV, state police received information that Murphy was in North Huntingdon and conducted surveillance of the area.

Police located him inside a vehicle and said about 750 bags of heroin fell from his lap onto the passenger-side floor when he stood up to get out, according to the complaint.

Murphy was one of six people charged after coincidental contact between rival gangs April 12 in Monroeville Mall led to gunfire and forced the facility into a lockdown. No one was injured.

Police said the incident started inside the mall when two groups of young men began fighting. One of the men involved, Brandon Noel, 21, of McKeesport, retrieved a gun from his car and then returned to his group, police said.

When the fight moved outside, according to investigators, Mr. Noel fired 14 shots back toward the mall. Mr. Noel was charged with attempted homicide and related counts.

The other men who police charged in the altercation were Treysaun A. Lockett-Tillman, 21, Jared A. Ogrosky, 21, Fordery A. Morris, 20, all of McKeesport, and Jamaal F. Abdul-Rabb, 22, of Turtle Creek.

Murphy is in the Westmoreland County Jail after failing to post the $75,000 bond for the drug charges. He faces a preliminary hearing July 17 on those charges.

A preliminary hearing for the charges stemming from the mall incident has yet to be scheduled.