18-year-old from Penn Hills faces charges after shots fired at South Hills Village Mall
An 18-year-old from Penn Hills is facing charges after police said gunshots rang out at South Hills Village Mall on Tuesday evening.
The Bethel Park Police Department said officers were called to the mall around 4 p.m. on Tuesday for a report of a shooting outside the AMC movie theater near the mall.
At the scene, police said officers found a man who had been assaulted, but had not been shot. Police added that the investigation found that an unknown number of shots were fired and that no one was hit.
The Allegheny County Police Department later said that a juvenile was walking near the movie theater and arguing with a group of people in what investigators later learned was a stolen vehicle. The juvenile allegedly punched the side view mirror of a second vehicle, leading to a physical confrontation between the driver of that vehicle and the juvenile.
County police said that while the two people were fighting, an 18-year-old, now identified as Elijah Brown, was behind the wheel of the first vehicle and fired shots at the second driver. The juvenile then jumped into the first vehicle, which left the mall.
Police said three people were later taken into custody after ditching the vehicle along Route 19 in Dormont.
Brown, of Penn Hills, faces a list of charges, including aggravated assault, weapons charges, and reckless endangerment. A preliminary hearing date has not been set for him, according to court paperwork.
South Hills Village Mall shoppers react to shots fired
One day before New Year's Eve, shoppers at the mall on Tuesday were stunned.
"This is a very safe area," shopper Reshelle Barrett said. "Yeah, it's very shocking to hear."
While the investigation continues, shoppers are trying to digest what happened at a busy and popular mall.
"It's terrible, it's scary," shopper Terri Balsam said. "You don't want to take your kids out."