PITTSBURGH \u2014 Over the summer, Channel 11 has covered incident after incident involving unruly \u201cteen takeovers\u201d in the City of Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
We wanted to know whether parents could face charges in connection with these situations. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe parents should do way better. If your kid is Downtown at 12:30 a.m. with no money, taking over and doing all this, you failed as a parent personally,\u201d a man in downtown Pittsburgh told Channel 11 today. <\/p>\n
He has had enough of the takeovers after he experienced one firsthand last week. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere was one literally at the Carrick pool. I was trying to dip my toes in, and I can\u2019t even dip my toes in because there\u2019s too many kids doing too much,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Days later, there was another one in East Liberty, where 150 teenagers gathered, and police say some of them had guns and shot off Roman candle fireworks.<\/p>\n
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Fireworks thrown as Pittsburgh police work to break up crowd of 150 juveniles in East Liberty<\/a><\/p>\n The takeovers aren\u2019t just a Pittsburgh problem; they\u2019ve been happening all over the country. Some cities, like Detroit and Washington DC, have announced that parents will be charged or cited if their kids participate in the takeovers. <\/p>\n A spokesperson for the Allegheny County District Attorney\u2019s office told Channel 11 that there are two statutes that could be used in limited circumstances. But, she added, it would be difficult to charge parents because prosecutors would have to prove the parents knew what the child intended to do. <\/p>\n Legal analyst Phil DiLucente explained what kind of evidence would be needed\u2026 <\/p>\n \u201cWere they part of a text string that said \u2018hey mom, I need you to drive me down to xyz because we\u2019re going to do xyz, without question\u2026 accomplice liability kicks in and then they can be charged under the statute,\u201d DiLucente said. <\/p>\n To him, a better option could be adding more beds to the Shuman Center so that more teens face the consequences themselves and get the guidance they need. <\/p>\n \u201cThose beds will facilitate the proper rehabilitation. Without that, we just have either a non-monetary type of bond or house arrest\u2026 but we all know house arrest can easily be violated. So those beds would be consistent with what the whole theory of the judicial system is for\u2026 rehabilitation,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Download the FREE WPXI News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch WPXI NOW<\/a><\/p>\n TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS <\/p>\n \u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n