Man accused of assaulting child at Wilkinsburg park

A man is now facing charges after police say he assaulted a juvenile at a Wilkinsburg park on Sunday evening. 

Police said that Darnell Diggs is facing charges of strangulation, indecent exposure, and simple assault after a juvenile told his mother he choked him and dragged him into a nearby alley on Boyd Way. 

Through surveillance video at the intersection of Wood and Holmes streets, police were able to identify Diggs coming into contact with the juvenile. They say he was seen on video riding a bike while wearing a skirt and roaming the park before the two interacted. 

According to the criminal complaint, the boy told police Diggs began choking him before dragging him into the nearby alley. From the court documents, police were able to confirm interaction through surveillance before the two disappeared off-screen.

Neighbors in the community say the incident is deeply disturbing, as kids are always walking to the bus stop, passing, and playing in the park.

"I would've been keeping a close eye because it's sad to say this isn't the first incident. If you check Megan's Law, Wilkinsburg lights up," said parent and neighbor of the park, Morisha Bey. "I'm so glad I didn't have my kids outside."

The complaint states Diggs exposed himself to the juvenile in the alleyway and attempted to sexually assault him. 

The boy escaped the alleyway and ran to tell his mother what had happened and to notify the police.

Mother has warning for parents

The boy's mother, Ashlynn Torres, still gets emotional thinking about what happened to her 8-year-old son on Sunday evening.

"My first thought was I had to find him," Torres said. "I was out of breath. My lungs were on fire."

It was adrenaline that allowed her to grab her children's scooter and race to the park from her house in Homewood, even with broken bones in her back and nerve damage, after her son ran home.

"It was sheer terror in his eyes," Torres said. 

She said her son was crying and trembling.

"He told me that a man in a skirt tried to kidnap him and was choking him," Torres said.

"He said, 'Mom, when he was choking me. I told him I have a family, and he let me go,'" Torres added. 

The mother now keeps thinking about what more could have gone wrong.

"He could have easily taken my son's life within seconds," Torres said.

She feels that if there's any message she could say to parents, it's this:

"We've got to stay on top of our kids, even if it requires keeping them home to keep them safe. Sometimes, that's what we have to do," Torres said.