On the evening of Friday, Sept. 6, just outside of Lawrence Hall on Wood Street, a few Point Park students had a run-in with a combative male. Although no one was injured, the man is now facing harassment charges.
Around 7 p.m. that evening, Hailey Garibay, a first-year criminal justice student, and her friend were walking back to campus after seeing Beetlejuice 2 at the AMC CLASSIC 10 theater at South Hills Village Mall.
“We saw a guy that we’ve seen before down at the smoke shop down the street -just lingering around,” Garibay said.
The man was instigating with two other Point Park students identified as male and female. The man got close and up in their faces, pushing them Garibay said. He saw that the male student started to push back while the female student fled into Lawrence Hall.
The male student went to follow her inside, but then the man tried entering the building. However, the male student pushed the man out and closed the door.
By that time, Garibay and her friend were right outside the door where the man was. When he saw them, he lunged at them. The man grabbed a hold of their shirts and then proceeded to grab Garibay inappropriately. Garibay’s friend began to swing her purse at the man, who then backed off.
The man started screaming and yelling before running into the streets when Point Park Police arrived. When he spotted the patrol car, the man ran up to it and began hitting the window. A Point Park officer got out and restrained the man on the ground. Officers arrested him after he was restrained.
The man was discovered to be under the influence of K2, a marijuana–based substance. Since they found no drugs on him, officers concluded he must have smoked it.
K2 is a drug that, when smoked, often causes the user to become very aggressive. Once the effects wear off, the user may become lethargic. When K2 leaves a person’s system, it is possible that the user may not realize what was happening while under the influence.
“An ambulance was called because the man said he was diabetic. He may have had a reaction to the drugs due to being diabetic, and we always get people checked out,” Police Sergeant William Wagner said.
The man was checked out in an ambulance and was not transported to a hospital. He is in the Allegheny County Jail; he is facing charges of harassment and disorderly conduct.
“Due to the fact whenever she was touched it was with clothing the charge falls under harassment,” Wagner said. “If he had went up her shirt to touch bare skin it would have been a different charge.”
Additionally, Pittsburgh Police were called in as back-up for the incident.
“A lot of times, if we have an issue and we call for back up, not only does Pittsburgh respond. We have Port Authority, and the Sheriff’s Department will come too,” Wagner said. “It is nice that if there’s a serious incident all these different bureaus will come.”
Garibay was surprised by the encounter.
“I wouldn’t think something like that could happen to me, but it can happen to anyone, especially Downtown.”
If you are on or near campus and in need of assistance, please reach out to campus safety’s 24/7 dispatch at 412-392-3960 or the number 2222 on any campus phone.
