Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala says his office is still deciding whether to file criminal charges after a late-night bar fight in Pleasant Hills that has already sidelined several Pittsburgh police officers on administrative leave. The off-duty dust-up has triggered both a criminal review and parallel misconduct investigations inside city government.
Channel 11’s 11 Investigates team reported that Zappala sat down with chief investigator Rick Earle and described the case as very much active, with prosecutors sorting through evidence before making any charging decisions, according to WPXI. He did not signal that charges were imminent and said his office is concentrating on pinpointing the biggest problems in the case before taking the next step.
Chief and watchdogs open internal probes
Newly sworn Chief Jason Lando confirmed that the Citizen Police Review Board has opened an inquiry and that the Office of Municipal Investigations is also examining the incident. "It's disheartening. I can't speak about it now, only because it is not a Pittsburgh police department investigation," Lando told WPXI. The station reported that sources say there is video that appears to show one officer striking a person with a bottle.
Who’s been suspended and what we know
City officials first placed one detective on leave. Three more officers, reportedly members of the Violence Prevention Unit who were out celebrating a promotion, were later put on paid administrative leave, bringing the total to four, according to reporting by Beaver County Radio. No criminal charges have been filed at this point as investigators continue reviewing video and interviewing witnesses.
What comes next
The OMI and CPRB reviews are administrative and operate separately from any criminal case. Charging decisions rest with prosecutors, who must weigh what evidence would be admissible and how credible witnesses appear. The City Code defines the Office of Municipal Investigations as the arm responsible for probing police misconduct and details the CPRB's oversight role, according to the City of Pittsburgh code. For now, both the DA’s office and city investigators say they are proceeding carefully while they sort through video, witness statements, and other material.
Zappala and city officials have not provided a timeline for wrapping up their reviews, and police declined to comment further. This story will be updated as new information becomes available.
