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Penn Hills H.S. Student Charged In Security Guard Attack

PENN HILLS (KDKA) - A Penn Hills High School student is charged with beating up a school security guard.

According to police, the incident happened last week at the high school and was recorded by another student.

The student is identified as 18-year-old Eddie Thrash.

Last Wednesday, authorities say another student used his cell phone to record the incident in a hallway of the school and then post it on Facebook.

"What really blows my mind is the kids are all sitting there recording it, why wasn't anybody trying to help that man, a teacher had to walk in," said Erin Vecchio, a Penn Hills School Board member-elect.

According to Penn Hills Police, the guard approached Thrash around 1:30 p.m., told him to get out of the hallway and go to class. First, police say there was a verbal argument, but then things got physical.

The guard told police Thrash put his arms around his waist, lifted him up and threw him to the floor. Thrash landed on top of him, and allegedly punched the guard seven to eight times about the face.

"The kid was just charged with a felony, and the judge let him go on his own recognizance," said Vecchio. "Why didn't he keep him in jail, I mean… aggravated assault, that's a felony, a felony three."

KDKA's Brenda Waters: "Is he back in school now?

Vecchio: "Oh, no, he's not back in school yet, but he better not be back in school. That child should never be able to walk back into the Penn Hills School District."

And of the district, Vecchio is frustrated.

"Ultimately, they have to start enforcing the rules of the school district," said Vecchio. "If they don't enforce the rules of this school district, it's going to be anarchy because the kids are running the district instead of the administrators."

Thrash remains out on his own recognizance. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Monday, Oct. 26.

He faces numerous charges, including aggravated and simple assault and harassment, and authorities say he admitted to police he did it.

At the superintendent's office on Tuesday afternoon, KDKA was told the district had nothing to say about the incident and we were asked by security to leave the property.

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