Tuesday morning turned tense very quickly outside Hilltop Community Children’s Center in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood, when masked agents moved into a parking lot across the street and detained several workers. Surveillance footage from the block shows people running and unmarked vehicles pulling in just before 8 a.m., while the owner of a local roofing crew said some of his employees were taken. Inside the daycare, staff said they pulled children away from windows and used whistles and even a child’s toy drum to warn neighbors as the scene unfolded.
Surveillance Video Captures Early Morning Detentions
Surveillance video recorded from Orchard Place shows vehicles arriving and agents rushing toward workers at around 7:50 a.m., according to WPXI. In the clip, individuals appear to jump out of unmarked vans and move quickly across the parking lot, a sight that prompted neighbors to call for help. WPXI reported that the action played out directly across the street from the Hilltop Community Children’s Center, within clear view of the daycare building.
Neighbors And Daycare Staff Recall A Frantic Morning
Witnesses told TribLIVE that the officers were masked and wore green vests labeled "POLICE," a sight that sent daycare staff hustling children away from the windows. "I came outside with my whistle and just starting blowing," daycare worker Kayla Pistelli said to TribLIVE, adding that a co-worker pounded on a child’s toy drum to alert neighbors. TribLIVE also reported that owner Omar Millan said three of the detained employees were later released and that several work trucks and personal belongings were left behind in the lot after the agents left.
Roofing Crew Owner Says Multiple Workers Were Taken
Omar Millan, who owns OK Service LLC, told WPXI that at least three of his workers were detained during the operation and that he believed more could be in custody. "six or seven of his employees were taken," Millan told TribLIVE, noting that his crew includes workers from Honduras, Venezuela and Colombia. He said he was working to reach families of the detained employees and planned to pursue any available avenues to locate and assist them.
Knoxville Sweep Tied To Broader Regional Pattern
The Knoxville operation comes amid a series of recent interior enforcement actions around the Pittsburgh region. In April, Hoodline reported on a license-center sweep in West Kittanning in which agents hauled away multiple people in an incident headlined ICE Swoops In On West Kittanning, and Pittsburgh outlet PublicSource has documented earlier workplace raids that led to multiple employee detentions. Community rapid-response groups in the area have been tracking these operations and mobilizing to support affected families. Officials have not yet identified which federal agency carried out the Knoxville action, and authorities had not issued a public statement by the time local outlets published their reports.
